Not a winner. A champion. In sports, every season has a champion. Every year someone holds up a trophy that tells of games won and opponents vanquished. It is the ultimate prize in sports. But no trophy can measure a man’s heart, character, and soul. And therefore, no trophy can measure a champion. In my humble opinion, a champion is someone who cares not only about winning, but about doing things the right way. A champion is someone who teaches, who gives hope, and who makes the world better simply by watching them play. Today, sports has become a world of mercenaries. Every year athletes leave fans that love them and teammates who they call family in order to earn more money somewhere else. Doesn’t loyalty figure into being a champion? How many athletes argue for the ball, cheat on their wives, talk trash about their teammates and opponents, and take any chance to take publicize their own accomplishments? And if they happen to win the last game of the season, then we call them a champion. On Thursday, March 20th, 2005, I watched one of the only people I’ve ever called my hero play his last game in the NBA. He lost his last game of his NBA career. In fact he has always lost the last game of his season. Some people would say that is because he never hoisted the championship trophy, but I would say it is because he took his family to the playoffs 17 of the18 years he played in the league and every year he fought the very best the world has ever seen and stood blow for blow until the bitter end. He had more than a few chances to leave his team and earn more money somewhere else. He could have won a championship by leaving for one of the big market cities of LA or Chicago. But to him, that would not have been winning, that would have been the easy way. For 18 years, from the day he was a rookie until his very last game, he was ALWAYS the first one in the gym. Hard work was just part of his character. When you are too skinny and have a severe bone condition that make walking difficult into your teenage years, hard work is the only way. But staying in one place and committing yourself to a team for close to twenty years doesn’t mean much if you don’t give back. But his 2004 J. Walter Kennedy Community Service Award, his USA magazine’s Most Caring Athletes for 2002, his agreement during the 2001 season to donate $1,000 for every 3-pter to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund for a total of $206,000, his own foundation to assist fire victims, and countless other service projects make it clear that he has given back more than his share. He has hit some of the most clutch shots ever seen. He has played so many perfect games and forth quarters. He is imfamous for being at his best when it counts the most. He once scored 8 points in the last 9 seconds to win a playoff game in Madison Square Garden. He once scored 25 points in the forth quarter of a playoff game in that same building. He’s hit too many game winning shots to count. But maybe the best way to sum up his basketball legacy is to say that battled against the likes of Patrick Ewing, Jason Kidd, Kobe Brayant, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’neal, and Michael Jordan in their primes in the biggest of games and a good amount of the time, he won. To my hero, you always did it with blood, sweat, and tears. You are a role model on how to achieve greatness and also what to do with it. You have made me believe in the underdog and in miracles. So although you never raised the trophy, to me and to millions of others, you are the ultimate champion. From the bottom of my heart, Reggie Miller, thank you for the memories. -Scott Richardson Reggie's last game against the reigning world champions: -in only 33 min. (he is 39!) 27 pts on 11-16 shooting, 50% from 3-pt, and a few more great memories.