NBA.com: Anthony Miller Bio

A 6-9 banger who goes by the nickname "Pig," Anthony Miller went from being an unheralded second-round pick to a solid rookie contributor in his first season with the Los Angeles Lakers. His playing time and contributions both went down, however, in 1995-96, his second pro season, and he spent most of 1996-97 in the CBA before earning a spot with the Atlanta Hawks in 1997-98, then moving to the Houston Rockets as a free agent in 1998-99. A teammate of Steve Smith at Michigan State, Miller was the Spartans' leading rebounder in his senior year. He averaged 12.6 points and 9.0 rebounds while earning honorable mention All-Big Ten honors. His .651 field goal percentage led the conference and ranked third in the nation, and his career field goal percentage of .609 was the third highest in school history. Miller also received the team's Most Improved Player Award for the 1993-94 season. Drafted by the Golden State Warriors, Miller's rights were traded to Los Angeles before the 1994-95 season began. The burly forward was a valuable addition to the Lakers' front line, spelling Elden Campbell at the power forward slot. He proved he could be a factor in the league with an 18-point, 15-rebound performance against Sacramento on March 3. He played in only 27 games in his second season with the Lakers, averaging 1.3 points and 0.9 rebounds in just 4.6 minutes per game. He was one of five players whose rights were renounced by the Lakers on July 18, 1996 when they signed Shaquille O'Neal. Miller was signed by the Hawks on Nov. 14, 1996, but released on Nov. 18 after playing in only one game. He also played in 16 games for the Florida Beachdogs of the CBA that year, but earned a spot as a backup frontcourtman with the Hawks in 1997-98, playing in 37 games. Miller signed with the Houston Rockets as a free agent on January 23, 1999 and played in 29 games, all as a reserve, in 1998-99. He also played in 35 games for the Rockets in 1999-2000 after joining the team in midseason.

1999-2000 REGULAR SEASON
Logged 19 points and 12 rebounds in a 115-110 loss to Golden State on 1/27 Signed with the Rockets for the remainder of the season on 1/26 Signed to a second 10-day contract by the Rockets on 1/16 Recorded 9 points and 12 rebounds in a 110-93 loss in Sacramento on 1/11 Grabbed 11 rebounds in a 103-87 loss to Utah on 1/8 Signed to a 10-day contract by the Houston Rockets on 1/6

1998-1999 REGULAR SEASON
Placed on the injured list on 5/4 due to a strained left knee Scored 9 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in a 93-92 overtime victory over the New Jersey Nets on 2/18

1997-1998 REGULAR SEASON
Scored 12 points and grabbed 8 rebounds in a 107-87 victory over the Houston Rockets on 4/3 Totaled 9 points, 5 steals and 3 rebounds, in 10 minutes, against the San Antonio Spurs on 1/21 On the injured list from 12/9 to 12/19 due to a sore back

1996-1997 REGULAR SEASON
Miller signed with Atlanta on Nov. 14 and appeared in one game, getting seven rebounds in 14 minutes, but was released on Nov. 18 when Ken Norman came off the injured list. He later hooked on with the Florida Beachdogs of the CBA, averaging 8.1 points and 8.4 rebounds in 16 games, playing 20.1 minutes per game off the bench. He started six of the team's nine games in the CBA playoffs, averaging 4.6 points and 4.0 rebounds in 15.8 minutes per game.

1995-1996 REGULAR SEASON
Miller's career backtracked in his second season with the Lakers. He got into only 27 games, averaging 1.3 points and 0.9 rebounds in only just 4.6 minutes per game. He was a DNP-CD for 51 games and sat out the last four games of the season due to tendinitis in his right knee. He scored a season-high six points at Seattle on Nov. 4 and grabbed a season-high four rebounds in each of the first three games of the season. He was not on the Lakers' playoff roster, and his rights were renounced by the team on Sept. 18, 1996.

1994-1995 REGULAR SEASON
Miller showed promise in his rookie campaign. Selected by the Golden State Warriors in the second round of the 1994 NBA Draft, he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers on July 1 for a 1995 second-round draft choice. Miller made the Lakers squad and saw action in 46 games, mostly as a backup to Elden Campbell at power forward. For the season, Miller averaged 4.1 points and 3.3 rebounds while shooting .530 from the floor. He had his best outing on March 3 against the Sacramento Kings, exploding for 18 points and 15 rebounds, both career highs. The rebound total represented the most by a Lakers reserve since A. C. Green had grabbed 16 boards off the bench in 1991. Miller appeared in 4 of the Lakers' 10 playoff games, totaling 15 minutes, 1 rebound, and no points. Los Angeles battled to the conference semifinals before losing to the San Antonio Spurs in six games.