Can ’90s fans imagine Reggie Miller leaving Indiana in his prime? Going to a different team? Going to Chicago? Maybe even win a championship or three? While we can all talk about that fantasyland decades after Reggie Miller is retired, one thing remains true – the Pacers legend was never going to leave Indiana. Not even if Michael Jordan personally invited him. But if a different someone asked, though…

Miller’s rivalry with Michael Jordan was just as legendary as how much he faced in New York. Maybe that’s why he clarified to Dan Patrick on his show that he never hated Michael Jordan. He idolized him so much, the new NBC analyst wants to steal Mike Tirico’s job on MJ’s Insights to Excellence.

So Patrick, being the seasoned interviewer he is, had to ask, “If he would have asked you to join the Bulls, would you have?” The way Miller laughs at the possibility would make you think Dan did slapstick. The entire scenario was laughable to Reggie.

“Stop it. Stop it. Please stop that… There’s just no way. There is absolutely no way. And I know people are going to be like, ‘Well, yeah, that’s why you don’t have any rings.’ Probably… But I’m not going to, I’m not going to, I’m not, I can’t do that.”

That’s not just his loyalty to Indiana speaking. Miller has long admired two franchise legends – Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, as well as Michael Cooper. Becoming a cornerstone and leader to their respective franchises was what Miller modeled himself after throughout his career with the Pacers. Michael Jordan wouldn’t be able to shake.

“That goes against, that goes against everything I was taught from Magic and Michael Cooper. That goes against everything,” he told Dan.

Though he says that, the very principle is an exception to Reggie Miller’s self-imposed rule.

Magic Johnson and Larry Bird can do what Michael Jordan can’t

Reggie Miller entered the league in 1987, when the Magic-Bird rivalry was the NBA’s most entertaining storyline. Miller was as much a fan of them as he was their rival. He looked up to Larry Bird, an Indiana legend despite playing for the Boston Celtics. When Bird switched to coaching, he joined his hometown franchise with a young star in Reggie Miller.

The Hick from French Lick had a strong influence in keeping Miller in Indiana with hopes of winning the title. In 2000, the Pacers came close to their first title, but the faith in Miller’s window was dwindling. Bird had assured Indiana then by declaring, “It’s playoff time. Reggie’s the man, and knows he’s the man.”

Magic Johnson bothered Reggie Miller with his pickup game tactics as much as Michael Jordan did on the few times the Lakers and Pacers clashed in non-conference matchups. But Miller held a strong admiration for the Lakers legend.

So Dan asked him if Magic called him to the Lakers, “Yeah, now that’s different. I’m playing for the Lakers. Now that’s different. That’s a little different. I only saw the Lakers twice a year.”

If Larry Bird kept him in Indiana, it’s not hard to believe that Magic Johnson would’ve changed his mind. Jordan had given Miller too many thrills as a rival for him to lose out on that.