Home

NBA

The Boston Celtics Were About to Lure Reggie Miller Out of Retirement With A Tempting Offer

Published 03/18/2021, 11:01 AM EDT

Follow Us

The NBA works in mysterious ways. There are players who have had Hall of Fame careers and achieved plenty of individual success but somehow never won a championship. This includes Karl Malone, John Stockton, and Reggie Miller.

Miller has teams like the New York Knicks, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal’s Lakers, and Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls to thank for not bringing back a title.

But that did not mean he was any less valuable than the other players in the league. Considered one of the best shooters to ever live, with a side of some trash-talk, Miller was even offered to come out of retirement and bring his talents to the Boston Celtics.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

What the Boston Celtics could have been

Reggie Miller had retired in 2005, but the Boston Celtics had pulled off a blockbuster trade just two years later. They had added Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett to join Paul Pierce, forming the ‘Big Three’. On top of that, there were also talks of bringing Miller out of retirement to join this trio.

Back then, when Miller heard about the Celtics wanting him, he said, “I’m always flattered when my name is mentioned as someone who
can still help an NBA team win a championship. I’ve had limited discussions with Celtics management about their roster and a potential role for me. At this time, I’m enjoying my role as an analyst with TNT.”

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest NBA stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

Celtics GM even Danny Ainge also said, “[I have] contacted Reggie, and he is contemplating a comeback with us.”

Reggie Miller would have been a champion?

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Teaming up with Ray Allen, Pierce and Garnett would have been the ultimate dream team. So, why didn’t Miller take up the offer? After taking suggestions from everyone possible, Miller got clarity that he stilled liked playing for recreational purposes.

However, he wasn’t willing to put himself through that mental and physical exertion of playing an 82-season game. On top of that, it would have taken him an ample anmount of time to come back in shape and play as good as he did before he retired.

via Imago

Only if Miller had somehow managed all this, he would have one championship under his name. Would have been worth it, right?

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Read also- “It Was Too Much Pain”: Former Teammate Reveals Reggie Miller Never Wanted to Interview for Michael Jordan’s The Last Dance

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Yashima Bhatia

1,803Articles

One take at a time

Yashima Bhatia is an NBA writer for EssentiallySports who specialises in providing nuanced predictions and updates for matches. She has a Bachelor's degree in journalism and mass communication. Yashima's love for playing the game came up at a young age, when the excitement of the games coupled with the intensity of the Playoffs had her hooked.
Show More>