Andre Lloyd Miller
USABiography of Andre Lloyd Miller
Early Life and College CareerAndre Lloyd Miller is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the Portland Trail Blazers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a point guard and has been with the Blazers for ten seasons, only missing five regular-season games during his tenure.
Miller attended the University of Utah, where he played college basketball for the university's team. In 1998, he helped the team reach the NCAA championship finals. His teammates in college included future NBA players Keith Van Horn and Michael Doleac. In his final season, Miller was named to the All-American First Team by the Associated Press. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology.
NBA Career
In the 1999 NBA draft, Miller was selected with the 8th overall pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers. In his rookie season, he averaged 11.1 points and 5.8 assists per game, earning a spot on the NBA All-Rookie First Team. Over the course of three years with the Cavaliers, Miller became one of the team's leading players, regularly delivering assists to his teammates and frequently scoring himself. During the 2001/2002 season, he achieved a double-double average with 16.5 points and 10.9 assists per game, the only time in his career.
On July 30, 2002, Miller was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers along with Bryant Stith in exchange for promising 20-year-old forward Darius Miles and Harold Jamison. He spent only one season with the Clippers before signing as a free agent with the Denver Nuggets, one of the weakest teams in the NBA at that time. Alongside promising rookie Carmelo Anthony, Miller became one of the team's leaders and helped the Nuggets reach the NBA playoffs for the first time since 1995. This was also Miller's first experience in the playoffs. Although the Nuggets made it to the playoffs three times with Miller, they were eliminated in the first round each time.
On December 19, 2006, Miller was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers along with Joe Smith in exchange for Allen Iverson. He continued his role as the starting point guard for the Sixers. In the summer of 2009, his contract with the team expired.
On July 24, 2009, Miller signed a three-year contract worth $21 million with the Portland Trail Blazers as a free agent. He has been a key player for the team since then.
International Career
Miller made his debut for the United States national team at the 1997 FIBA Under-21 World Championship, where his team finished in fifth place. He won the Goodwill Games twice, in 1998 and 2001. Miller last played for the national team at the 2002 FIBA World Championship, where the United States finished in sixth place.
