'I had to act like I was getting killed out there' - Reggie Miller explains why he became the master of flopping

Originally posted on Basketball Network | By Peter Sunjic | Last updated Nov 25, 2024 10:15 AM ET

Flopping, best described as the deliberate exaggeration or fabrication of contact with an opposing player to push a referee to call a foul in favor of your team.

Although within the rules of basketball, this so-called "skill" often sparked debates among fans because players have always tried, in one way or another, to do whatever they could to give themselves the best chance to succeed.

One of those was Indiana Pacers legend Reggie Miller, who openly admitted he had to "sell the contact" to the refs in an era when the game was dominated by players much stronger and heavier than him.

"Hey, I had to be. At my size, I had to be. I had to act like I was getting killed out there," "Uncle Reg" said in an interview with SLAM when asked if he was the "master of the good flop."

"Most officials are gonna look if you are 180, 185. I mean you are going to the hole and Patrick Ewing is 260-270, you gotta act like you were just killed," the Hall of Famer added.

"Uncle Reg" was more than just a flopper

As Miller best described, he was an ordinary man among the trees every time he tried to go into the painted area. To take some easy shots at the line, flopping was often the name of the game for the Pacers sharpshooter.

Of course, it would be more than unfair to say that all Reg did was foul-baiting and making free throws, considering he is the greatest Indiana player of all time. However, it must be acknowledged that he used everything in his arsenal to earn that title, and he did so in arguably the toughest era in the NBA.

Although he never managed to lead his team to the promised land, primarily because he operated in the era of Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls, Reggie is still regarded as one of the greatest clutch shooters of all time.

Miller's flopping made Jordan go nuts

Speaking of the Jordan and Miller rivalry, it was one for the ages. Although MJ came up victorious in many of the battles the two shared, the Bulls guard once admitted that playing against Uncle Reg literally drove him nuts, as the savvy Pacer always knew how to manipulate every touch.

"I don't dislike anybody in the league, but playing Reggie Miller drives me nuts. It's like chicken-fighting with a woman. His game is all this flopping-type thing. He weighs only 185 pounds, so you have to be careful; don't touch him, or it's a foul," "His Airness" shared.

A 6'7" forward with a thin frame was an 88.8 percent career free-throw shooter, so almost every one of the calls he got, he made sure to convert. Although it might have annoyed some or been considered unsportsmanlike, we believe Reg would stand behind the old saying, "It's all fair in love and war," and basketball in the '90s was very much a battleground.

This article first appeared on Basketball Network and was syndicated with permission.

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