Cycling Celebrity
Former nba star does a full-court press on cycling
Reggie Miller does a full-court press on cycling
Reggie Miller is an nba Hall of Fame inductee, a legend of the sport of basketball and, now, a mountain biker. While his hard-court contemporaries have coasted peacefully into retirement, the 6'7" former Indiana Pacer is hammering up and down the hills of Malibu on his xxl Santa Cruz, between game nights, when he works the nba’s live broadcast.
Like his career, Miller’s i ntroduction to cycling is extraordinary. Miller had just moved to Malibu, Calif., when a chance encounter with Rage Against the Machine’s bassist Tim Commeford at a restaurant led to an invite to join in a group ride as a welcome to town. On a borrowed, heavy 26" bike, Miller joined Commeford, big wave surfer Laird Hamilton and fitness guru Don Wildman for a ride.
“I was still playing professional basketball at the time for the Indiana Pacers and thought, well, how hard can this be? I’m an athlete. Boy, was I ever wrong! Those three guys killed me, every climb and descent. But what I felt, being lost on my bike on those trails, hooked me,” Miller says.
While Miller’s formidable court skills might not have immediately transferred to trails, his competitive drive did. Miller’s Boombaby kit is seen frequently at Southern California cross country races.
“I could easily just be a weekend warrior rider, but I like pushing the envelope to see what I can get out of my body,” he says. “That’s how I approached my basketball career and now how I approach bike life. The competitive juices I felt being on the hardwood floor have shifted to singletracks and epic climbs.”
Diving into XC racing led to Miller’s first unexpected Canadian connection. “For me, to get better on two wheels, I needed to be a student of the game, just like in my basketball career,” Miller says. After reading an article about Sonya Looney, who now lives in Kelowna, B.C., he reached out on Instagram.
“I was awestruck by how mentally tough she was,” Miller recalls, “so I contacted her via Instagram. To my surprise, she responded quickly.” So Miller kept asking questions about bike setup and how to use a Garmin in training. While Looney continued responding, it became clear she hadn’t figured out who her new protege was. “I could tell she was a bit hesitant at first, like, ‘Who is this strange guy asking about bike setups and Garmin questions?’ It took her husband, Matt Ewonus, to say, ‘Honey, you do know that’s Reggie Miller you’re corresponding with?’ We laugh about that to this day.”
You might not expect a Hall of Fame athlete to need much help adapting to a new sport, but Miller says it was Looney who gave him the confidence to keep at mountain biking. That support led to a lasting connection between the two. “Sonya was the first person to make me believe I could be a successful cyclist. When I was ready to fold my tent up and call it a day, she pumped me up. That’s why she will forever be my life coach.”
While Miller was fresh to cycling, his wealth of experience in competition helped him to be a mentor to the U.S. elite women’s world champion, Kate Courtney, as she prepared to graduate from the under-23 ranks. “I made my career from reading my opponents’ body language and demeanour, using that against them. I shared with her things to look for, tricks to use,” Miller says. “I wanted to prepare her for the mind games she possibly could be facing from her competitors.”
That has again led to another lasting friendship between two elite athletes. “I think the reason Kate Courtney and I have bonded has been the trust and respect factor we have for one another,” Miller says. “Kate has always been mentally strong and focused. I’m just here to be a sounding board for anything she misses.”
Miller’s giving back through his new sport in other ways, too. In December, he joined the board of directors of usa Cycling. Sales of his Boombaby team jersey add support to the Dropping Dimes Foundation, a not-for-profit that helps former players of the American Basketball Association and their families. This past September, Castelli partnered with Miller to create the Say Their Names jerseys to support the Equal Justice Initiative. “The response was phenomenal. Never would I have imagined we would have sold more than 1,300 kits,” Miller says. “I’ve always appreciated Castelli’s willingness to help people.” Miller notes that the brand’s support came at a time when strong statements on racial injustice were particularly controversial in the U.S. Credit also goes to Miller, who has become a force within his new sport.