The Weird, Wacky, and Sometimes Wonderful NBA

Hey, Big Boy

I woke up this morning at 4:00 AM to make my dad a big Texas omelette before his journey to work today. Trust me I am regretting it now, but it did get my brain going for my next blog post. I have no idea if it was just the right timing or the minimal sleep, I got last night but I got to wondering about this story that I heard once upon a time of this absolute UNIT of a man. His name is Oliver Miller. The name sounds like an author if you ask me, not an NBA player.

HOUSTON, TX – FEBRUARY 10: Oliver Miller of the Sacramento Kings during the game against the Houston Rockets on February 10, 1999 at Compaq Center in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Sporting News via Getty Images via Getty Images)

This man was a professional athlete! If one thing is for certain anything is within reach. Listed at 6’9″, which is not tall when you compare it to say Shaquille O’Neal (7’3 360lbs). The heaviest the Miller was ever recorded was 380 lbs. That is immense. I’m going to try to make this easier to understand because some people just can’t grasp how big this dude was. An average sumo wrestler weighs 330 lbs… yea, that’s exactly what I thought as well. Miller got his start playing in high school at Southwest High School in Fort Worth, Texas and eventually became good enough to land a scholarship to the University of Arkansas. As a center he was known for his defense and pretty good passing skills. Miller was drafted in 1992 by the Phoenix Suns. He struggled with weight throughout his career, but he always suited up and balled out when he played. He ended up playing 9 seasons, and every game he stepped on the court it was as though he had a 175 lbs vest on. The surprising thing about all this is that the guy was decent. I’m not saying he is up there with the best big men of all time, but he was formidable. He bounced around from team to team from ’92-’00 eventually ending up on some overseas teams and in the D-League for some time. He even had a stint with the Harlem Globetrotters. That stint with the Globetrotters did not work out. There was some issues with Miller’s ability and dedication to his craft. He was eventually dismissed from the team. For his career, he averaged 7.4 points per game, 5.9 rebounds per game, and 1.5 blocks per game. These numbers are by no means elite, but I have to give some applause to a man of this size getting some buckets. Others don’t see it this way. They think that he should have kept better care of himself, and there is definitely some truth to that. However, I respect the game.

Throughout Miller’s career he had the opportunity to play for many a team. He traveled, saw things I’ll never get to see, and participate in one of the world’s largest sports. A career like that is never to shabby. Unfortunately, this story does not have a happy ending. Miller was charged with with first- and second-degree assault, reckless endangerment, possessing a handgun, using a handgun in a violent crime, possessing a handgun in a vehicle and disorderly conduct, among other charges. This laundry list of charges came at a 2011 barbecue where he was accused with pistol whipping a man in an altercation. It is a sad story for the NBA’s heaviest player. He won’t go down as the best player or even a really good player, but his story is one I really wanted to share. He will forever be known as one thicc boi.

Thank you for making it to the end of this blog. Leave a comment on who was the biggest player that you have ever seen play. See y’all next time, James.

The Extra Player

Welcome to the first story of my blog. This one is going to be a weird one for me 1) because no one likes to talk about the Pelicans and 2) I don’t even know this guy’s name. Although this story is not the way I thought I would start I believe it will be the perfect fit. Anyhow buckle yourself in because this story is beautiful as it is out there… like waaaayyyy out there. This is the face of a legend.

Superfan getting in some leg stretches before his big debut.

So this story starts in the before game warm-up where each team with its respective players get the chance to loosen up before the high adrenaline game they are about to play. Everyone knows about it and truthfully there’s nothing too special about this mundane routine except for the occasional loose basketball smacking a player in the face. However, on this day in 2018 during the Pelican’s warm-up shoot-around before a game against Western Conference Rival, the Houston Rockets, one lucky slightly kooky fan decided it was his turn to be a part of the team. Any reason to be a Pelicans fan at this moment is beyond my understanding. The team was subpar posting a 22-28 record before this night and not to mention their star player Anthony Davis was sitting out due to injury. Well, the injury is just part of that story because after Davis had healed from his apparent injury he still stayed out because of trade disputes. That’s another story for another time and that one is pretty weird too.

So as the story goes a fan dressed as a New Orleans Pelicans player runs onto the court casually and confidant in his ability to blend in, and he even does a few leg stretches before being passed the ball. Now I know what you’re thinking, “Who would pass the ball to someone they’ve never played with? Wouldn’t they know its not their teammate?” Those are ABSOLUTELY valid questions because you and I are not the only ones to ask these questions. Alas, I did not come here with any answers for you, just the message, it is up to you to come up with the answers for yourself. So back to the story, super fan catches a ball thrown to him by some unsuspecting ball boy or player or someone in between… and he takes his shot. I can just imagine how magical it must have been to shoot a shot with your favorite team, in warm-ups, with absolutely no one knowing who you are. As the ball came down, getting ever closer to the net until it BRICKED… how sad. The culmination of all his effort resulted in a missed shot, but he did not miss his opportunity to do something that he can tell his grandchildren about. That’s when the security guard finally noticed something was off about this guy and escorted him back to his seat with probably a stern talking to. Happily, though he was not escorted out of the game and made it big on Twitter and ESPN. The whole altercation lasted 19 seconds, but for 19 seconds that lucky fan was an NBA Star. You know that this altercation with the fan could have gotten out of hand, but I think that there was some good to this story. That night the New Orleans Pelicans beat a very talented Houston Rockets team. So maybe just maybe Superfan ended up being a good luck charm.

Update: Through some more rigorous research I have found a name to match the face of Superfan, Tony Douglas. Douglas is a comedian from Detroit who apparently was filling in for injured Demarcus Cousins who was out for the year. Just a little side note!

If you have stuck around this far I hope you will continue to follow me throughout this exciting journey of research that I hope to provide. Feel free to leave a comment about some weird stories from the NBA or any sport for that matter. See y’all next time, James.

Get a Load of this Guy

“Chemistry is a class you take in high school or college, where you figure out two + two is ten or something.”
-Dennis Rodman

This quote is from the great philosopher Dennis Rodman. If you know who that man is you know that he is no Socrates; however he is one of the greatest, if not the greatest rebounder of all-time. Eccentric, if not crazy is a way to describe Rodman, but he’s got the hardware to back up whatever he was saying that day in 1996. I would love to delve deeper into this story and many others like it, and that’s exactly what I plan on doing. I love the NBA and everything about it. The on the court entertainment is just as exciting as the stories you hear off the court. I’m definitely no basketball player myself, but I enjoy submersing myself into the culture just as much as the next guy. In this blog and subsequent others I hope to entertain… maybe even shock some of you with some of the NBA’s greatest legends and their stories. So buckle up this might get weird, maybe even as weird at Dr. Rodman’s Chemistry 131 class.

What if I Told You that this was a Class Assignment…?

So here is your host! My name is James Watson and I’m a Junior Business Management major at the University of South Alabama. This blog is purposeful for my Creativity & Innovation course, but I hope to get much more out of it than just an A.

So as my plan goes I am going to scour the internet, ESPN, sports radio, YouTube, basically anything I can find that I believe is an interesting and weird kinda story. Then, along with some research, I hope to present that story to all of you where you can enjoy it too. I think I have some interesting stories that will keep you enthralled, and I hope that you all enjoy yourself. Go Lakers!