While the stars of a team capture the spotlight with their brilliance, the neglected ones need to stay in the moment to thrive. This interesting dynamic gave rise to cult heroes in the past and there was one in the LeBron James-led Miami Heat. Recently, that influential figure shed light on the sacrifices required to win.

His words put forward his approach, as it made fans understand how he prospered in a star-studded lineup.

What did the Miami Heat cult hero mention?

In the latest episode of Oddball with Amin Elhassan & Charlotte Wilder, Mike Miller joined the hosts to discuss his time in Miami. The 43-year-old reflected on his three years with the franchise as he went through a cycle of emotions. He described his role within the team as a “sacrifice that was needed”.

Now a basketball coach, Miller highlighted the lessons he learned from his time with LeBron and his teammates. “Sacrifice is an easy word if you know what the outcome is gonna be,” the 2-time champion stated. Before joining the organization, he was well aware of the limitations that might come with the change.

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Still, Mike embraced it as he mentioned, “Okay, I’ll do that,” while talking about deliberately cutting down on his freedom. In his mind, he wanted to challenge himself in a different manner. The forward “wanted to find out” if he had all the necessary skills to win or not.

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Thus, by the end of each match, his struggles turned out to be of separate sorts. He highlighted those saying, “Mentally, you are way more fatigued than you are physically”. But his endeavors bore fruit when he helped his team win championships.

How Mike Miller helped LeBron James win two rings

Miller’s move to the Heat in 2010 was not met with much excitement from the fans and media alike. His role was clearly defined as a bench player, but by the end of his time, he astonished everyone. The organization’s 2011 NBA finals ended in misery, but what followed was nothing sort of fairytale.

In the NBA finals the following year, Mike became key to their win against the Oklahoma City Thunder. In Game 5, he came off the bench to hit a record-breaking seven 3-pointers and score 23 points. That proved to be a turning point as LeBron won his first championship.

The year after that, the cult hero repeated his excellence against the San Antonio Spurs. In Game 6 of that finals series, he hit a three-pointer while missing one shoe as Miami edged past the opposition in the match. They lived to see another day and eventually won the series 4-3.

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Since Mike Miller has seen and lived with sacrifices at the highest stage, the world is bound to cherish his wisdom for a long time.