Larry Miller (basketball player)
Lawrence James Miller | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Allentown, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | May 11, 2025 (aged 79) Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Occupation | Professional basketball player |
| Years active | 1968–1975 |
| Known for | ACC Player of the Year (1966, 1967); ACC 50th Anniversary men's basketball team; ABA single-game scoring record (67 points) |
Lawrence James Miller (April 4, 1946 – May 11, 2025) was a distinguished American professional basketball athlete. In recognition of his outstanding career, he was honored in 2002 by being selected to the ACC 50th Anniversary men's basketball team, highlighting him among the top 50 players in the history of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
During the 1960s, Miller gained acclaim as an All-American at Catasauqua High School, before advancing to collegiate basketball with the North Carolina Tar Heels. There, he secured the prestigious ACC Player of the Year award consecutively in 1966 and 1967.
Miller's professional career spanned from 1968 through 1975 in the American Basketball Association, where he competed for several teams including the Los Angeles Stars, Carolina Cougars, San Diego Conquistadors, Virginia Squires, and Utah Stars.
Early life and education
Born on April 4, 1946, in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Miller attended Catasauqua High School where he excelled as both an All-American basketball player and an All-League football athlete before dedicating himself exclusively to basketball.
Measuring 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) and weighing approximately 215 pounds (97.5 kg) during his high school years, Miller was known for his adept left-handed shooting and dynamic vertical leap. He honed his abilities by competing during summers against professionals from the Eastern League’s Allentown Jets.
Throughout his sophomore to senior years, his teams captured the Lehigh Valley League Championship along with District 11 regional titles. In his final year, Miller frequently averaged a triple-double, highlighted by a remarkable performance with 37 points, 37 rebounds, and 17 assists in one game. In his concluding home match, he tallied an impressive 65 points. During the 1964 Pennsylvania state playoffs, he contributed an extraordinary 46 points and secured 20 rebounds out of his team’s total of 66 in a critical victory.
Miller's impact resonated throughout the Lehigh Valley area; local radio stations arranged broadcasts of North Carolina games so fans could follow his collegiate progress. As of 2024, he holds the all-time scoring record in Lehigh Valley with 2,722 points (1960–64), exceeding the runner-up by over 500 points, alongside accumulating 2,062 career rebounds. His achievements were further recognized in 2018 with induction into the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association District XI Hall of Fame.
College basketball
Playing as both a guard and forward, Miller faced a choice among several programs including Michigan State and two Atlantic Coast Conference teams: a rebuilding University of North Carolina led by coach Dean Smith, and Duke University under coach Vic Bubas. Although Duke had reached the NCAA championship game in 1964, Miller was ultimately persuaded by Tar Heel players such as Billy Cunningham to join North Carolina, where he competed on varsity from 1965 until 1968.[1]
In his sophomore season (1965-66), Miller posted averages of 20.9 points and 10.3 rebounds per contest; the Tar Heels concluded with a record of 16–11.[1] His junior year saw him lead North Carolina to a top-10 national ranking, securing the ACC tournament championship with a final record of 26–6. That season, Miller averaged 21.9 points (third-best in the ACC) and pulled down 9.3 rebounds per game (fifth in the conference). The team advanced to the NCAA Final Four but fell to Dayton. His individual accolades included ACC Player of the Year, ACC tournament MVP, first-team All-ACC selection, East All-Region honors, and second-team All-American recognition.[1]
During his senior year (1967-68), Miller contributed to a Tar Heels squad that achieved a remarkable 28–4 record, clinched another ACC tournament title, and reached the NCAA championship game against UCLA, ultimately losing by a score of 78–55. He maintained an average of 22.4 points per game (second in ACC standings), repeating as ACC Player of the Year and tournament MVP. Additionally, he earned selections to both the NCAA East All-Regional and All-Tournament teams and was named a consensus first-team All-American alongside future Hall of Famers such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Pete Maravich. That year he was also awarded North Carolina’s Patterson Medal.[1][2]
Miller set a school record at North Carolina for scoring in double digits across 64 consecutive games.[3] His number 44 jersey has been retired at the Dean Smith Center.[4]
The seasons of 1966-67 and 1967-68 marked Coach Dean Smith’s inaugural appearances in the Final Four. As of 2022, Miller stands among only three players in ACC history to have earned back-to-back ACC tournament MVP honors.[5] That same year he was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame, joining fellow Pennsylvania native Rip Hamilton.[2][5] In recognition of his exceptional contributions to college basketball, Miller was named one of the fifty greatest players in Atlantic Coast Conference history on the occasion of its fiftieth anniversary in 2002.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
Professional basketball
Although Miller was selected in the 1968 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers (fifth round, 62nd overall), he never appeared in an NBA game. Instead, his professional career spanned from 1968 to 1975 in the American Basketball Association, where he competed for teams including the Los Angeles Stars, Carolina Cougars, San Diego Conquistadors, Virginia Squires, and Utah Stars. Playing primarily as a shooting guard, he maintained an average of 13.6 points per game and established the ABA single-game scoring benchmark by tallying 67 points against the Memphis Pros on March 18, 1972. In that remarkable performance, he converted 25 of 40 field goal attempts and successfully made 17 free throws, without any three-point shots.
Miller's most productive scoring years came during the 1971–72 season with the Cougars, where he averaged 18.4 points per game, and during his rookie season with the Stars, posting 17 points per game. Additionally, he achieved a personal best in rebounds as a rookie, averaging 7.7 per contest. The 1972–73 campaign saw him under the guidance of coaches K.C. Jones and later Wilt Chamberlain while with the San Diego Conquistadors before being traded to the Virginia Squires after seven games.
Personal life
Following his retirement from basketball, Miller transitioned into real estate development, initially working in Virginia and North Carolina. He eventually returned to his birthplace of Catasauqua, Pennsylvania to care for his ailing mother. Known earlier in life for his charisma and as a former champion on The Dating Game, Miller did not marry nor have any children.
Death
Miller spent his final days in hospice care located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and passed away on May 11, 2025, at the age of 79.
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