Yesterday, the community was coming to terms with the passing away of Bucks icon Junior Bridgeman. Today, we have lost another legend in Oliver “Big O” Miller. At the age of 54, the Big of Arkansas was the most dominant presence of the first Raptors squad. After 4 seasons with the Razorbacks, the Fort Worth native would represent 6 NBA teams over 9 seasons in the league.

He died of cancer, according to Wally Hall, a sports columnist from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. It was former Suns’ star Eddie A. Johnson who announced his passing. Big O’s claim to fame was well before his NBA career and his clashes with the Prez of the Big Man Alliance, Shaquille O’Neal. Even though he played only 9 seasons in the league, he would retire from the game in 2010, after involving certain stints abroad.

Oliver Miller and his NBA earnings

Big O made his NBA debut after the Phoenix Suns took a chance on him with the 22nd overall pick in the 1992 NBA Draft. His reported total salary from the league stands at $7,145,338. As per HoopsHype, adjusting for inflation, the earnings would be approximately equal to $14,567,904. As stated, it was the Suns who offered him the first contract, where he played the two seasons. The first season and second season salaries were $517,000 and $672,000, respectively.

In Phoenix, there were flashes of the player he could become. Oliver Miller was part of the infamous squad when they reached the NBA Finals and lost to Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls. Yes, his teammate was a player-turned-analyst, Charles Barkley. Unlike the Auburn legend, Miller was not a starter but a key bench player. His minutes and stats improved from his first season to the second. From 5.6 points to 9.2 and 19.1 minutes to 25.9. Still, it wasn’t enough to secure a permanent place in the league.

Big O’s next stint was with the Detroit Pistons, where he signed as a free agent for $1,540,000. The same year, Pistons drafted Grant Hill out of Duke University, and he finished the season as joint winner of the ROTY award. However, the season was poor, as they would finish with a 28-54 record, and Oliver Miller was left unprotected for the 1995 Expansion Draft.

He was an original member of the Raptors, and it was his best season where he averaged 12.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and 1.9 blocks. He would go on to start 72 out of the 76 games, and his contract was worth $2,372,000. After his best performance, the Dallas Mavericks signed the big man on a one-year free-agent contract. But Miller accepted substantially less money $247,500 than he could have made on the open market in order to return to north Texas.

That stint was short, as the Raptors re-signed free agent Oliver Miller after a brief stint with the Dallas Mavericks. The next season was his final one with the Canadian team. It was the 97-’98 season when they selected high school basketball star Tracy McGrady with the ninth overall pick. Miller would start 53 out of 64 games but could only average 6.3 points, and the team released him in free agency.

Big O’s short stint with other teams

Due to the 1998 lockout, the season started on February 5 in 1999 and was a 50-game season for each team. Miller would sign with the Sacramento Kings on a reported $600,000 contract, and the team finished 6th in the Western Conference. The team selected Jason Williams, aka “White Chocolate,” as the seventh overall pick. Apart from the draft, they acquired All-Star forward Chris Webber from the Wizards and signed free agents Vlade Divac and Vernon Maxwell.

Oliver Miller would return to the Suns for the 1999-2000 season for a reported $510,000. Apart from him, the team acquired All-Star guard Penny Hardaway from the Orlando Magic and signed free agent Rodney Rogers. His contribution was way more than his time with the Kings, as he contributed with 6.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game in only 51 games. Later, he was released to free agency.

After playing in the NBA from 1992 to 00, Miller played for semi-pro teams and overseas before returning to play 48 games for the Minnesota Timberwolves during the 2003-04 season. At 33 years old, Oliver Miller made a brief return with the Timberwolves, logging 10.5 minutes per game in what would be his last NBA stint. His final contract in the league was for $686,838.

However, after a total of 493 games over nine NBA seasons, Big O continued hooping, and his career finally came to a close in 2010 when he suited up for the Premier Basketball League’s Lawton-Fort Sill Cavalry. The Arkansas legend received tribute from all of his teams, including the Razorbacks. Even in tonight’s Raptors game at Scotiabank Arena, there was a moment of silence for Oliver Miller.