Read time: 5 min.

A while back, I wrote a couple of articles about how I might have accidentally become the world’s top collector of Oliver Miller’s basketball cards– and how I may have even inflated their value by buying so many. Miller, a standout 6’9″, 280-pound Arkansas Razorbacks center who played in the NBA for nine seasons, left a big mark on the game in more ways than one. Unfortunately, news of his passing at just fifty-four broke late Wednesday night.

Oliver Miller was born in Fort Worth on April 6, 1970. By the end of his college career in Arkansas, he averaged twelve points, six rebounds, and two assists per game as he shot 63% from the field. Known as the Big O because of his size, Miller stood out as a skilled passer, a strong shot-blocker, and a smooth finisher near the basket. Scouts praised his natural talent but noted that to succeed in the NBA, he’d need to play with more intensity and better manage his weight.

The thing about the Big O was that he was fat. Still, despite his legitimate NBA-level skills, most casual fans only saw him as a punchline. I’ve always been a contrarian, though, and Miller’s size was exactly why I connected with him as a player. I was fat when I first picked up a basketball in elementary school, fat when I played travel ball and suited up for my middle school team, and still fat -but with an emo haircut- when I scrimmaged with the varsity guys my senior year.

I’ve never been naturally athletic, but I was obsessed with basketball as a kid. I practiced constantly and turned myself into a solid sixth man, averaging Oliver Miller numbers in competitive play as a kid and teen. When I read the stats on the back of his cards, I saw a guy who had a phenomenal time in college and a solid pro career. The scouts might have knocked him for his size, but if the Big O didn’t let that stop him from succeeding, neither would I.

Playing organized basketball taught me that it’s way more fun to contribute to basketball by participating in it than it was to just memorize facts and stats. That was huge for me! I was shy and self-conscious, but basketball showed me that my limitations didn’t define me on the court. I could dribble, shoot, rebound, and score -no matter my size- at least against other kids. Basketball proved that I could hold my own and that I could be a valuable contributor to a team.

I have Oliver Miller to thank for that. Limitations didn’t seem to matter for him either- at least not by the time I started following him. By the mid-1990s, most of the Big O’s basketball cards had been updated to list his weight as 310 pounds, but he was probably closer to 350. Despite that, Miller had the best season of his career in 1995-96 after the Toronto Raptors chose him in the NBA expansion draft. In his first year as a full-time starter, he averaged 12.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.9 blocks per game. He was one of five players, including hall-of-famers David Robinson and Hakeem Olajuwon, to record at least 100 points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks that season.

Unfortunately, the Big O never reached those highs again, even after stints with the Dallas Mavericks, a second run with the Raptors, and time with Sacramento, Phoenix, and Minnesota. After leaving the NBA, he played for minor league teams like the Dakota Wizards, Texas Tycoons, Arkansas RimRockers, and Lawton-Fort Sill Cavalry before retiring in 2010 at forty.

Seven years later, Miller was honored as an Allstate® SEC Basketball Legend alongside 13 other greats. Finally, in 2021, NBA fans began to remember him fondly when the Suns made a run to the NBA Finals- their first trip since Miller’s rookie season.

All told, Oliver Miller banked millions of dollars over a nine-year NBA career and got to play with basketball legends like Charles Barkley, Grant Hill, Reggie Miller, and Kevin Garnett. I connected with him as a kid because he proved that you could succeed even when the odds weren’t entirely in your favor. Over his nine-season career, the Big O averaged a respectable 7.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.5 blocks per game. They’re solid numbers, even if he didn’t quite live up to his college potential.

A few years ago, I checked out Oliver Miller’s Twitter feed and came across a couple of interviews he gave in recent years. He’d lost a ton of weight after draftmate Sean Rooks died of heart disease nine years ago. It must have seemed like a wake-up call: the Big O was a proud grandfather who spent his days fishing and doting on his family. I’d love to live a lifestyle like that!

I’d take his legacy in a heartbeat, jokes and all. Oliver Miller didn’t let setbacks define him on or off the court. He faced tough breaks, especially the weight struggles that shadowed his career, but he never stopped pushing forward. Later in life, he worked to turn his health around and found peace with where he landed. That kind of resilience -the ability to shift focus and find meaning in the life you’ve built- is a lesson worth holding onto.

Hearing about Oliver Miller’s passing hits surprisingly hard- it feels like losing a quiet source of strength. Rest easy, Big O, and thanks for everything you taught me.