Willie V. Miller Jr. (born July 13, 1977) is a Filipino former professional basketball player. He last played for the

Pilipinas MX3 Kings Pilipinas MX3 Kings were a Filipino basketball team that played in the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL). The team only played one season in the ABL, mainly because of financial difficulties after Manny Pacquiao pulled out his financial support from th ...

of the

ASEAN Basketball League The ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) is a professional men's basketball league in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong/Macau, which includes six teams from Southeast Asian nations (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam), one tea ...

. He has started at the point guard position mostly but could also play the shooting guard spot. Miller has won four PBA championships and two PBA Most Valuable Player Awards. Miller played college basketball for Letran, where he was highly promoted in the national media as a future PBA superstar. After graduating, he was selected with the first overall pick in the 2001 PBA draft by the Thunder. Miller led them to two PBA championships before he got traded to the Alaska Aces where he also won one. He also won one championship with Talk N' Text.

Collegiate career

Miller played collegiate basketball for the

Letran Knights The Letran Knights are the collegiate varsity teams representing Colegio de San Juan de Letran in the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The collegiate women's varsity teams are called the ''Lady Knights'', while the high school varsity t ...

in the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

Professional career

Metropolitan Basketball Association

In 1999, Miller turned pro and instead opted to play for the expansion Nueva Ecija Patriots of the MBA. With Miller parading the Patriots, he was ranked second in the league in scoring averaging 23.6 a contest and made it to the MBA First Five. However, the Patriots won only five games in his first season. Despite another impressive second year with Nueva Ecija, they never made it to the playoffs as the team ranked among the worst teams in the league during the 2000 season.

Philippine Basketball Association

Red Bull (2001–2003)

In 2001, Miller opted out of the MBA to join the PBA Rookie Draft. Batang Red Bull Thunder, with the top overall pick in the draft, selected Miller as the first pick, despite speculations of possibly choosing Filipino-American John Arigo. In his first season, Miller was playing the backup role to Jimwell Torion at point guard but was able to contribute solid numbers in his PBA debut. He played a key role in Red Bull's 2001 Commissioners Cup championship upset of the San Miguel Beermen. In Game 5, he made a last-second block on Beermen import Nate Johnson to preserve the Thunder's victory, and a 3-2 series lead.

=2002: MVP year

= Fortunes change 2002, despite playing sparingly with Torion,

Junthy Valenzuela Junthy Valenzuela (born June 5, 1979) is a Filipino former basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), a former Red Bull Barako player. He was automatically pulled by Red Bull directly from the Philippine Basketball League. ...

and

Lordy Tugade Lordy Tugade (born December 30, 1977 in Alaminos, Pangasinan) is a Filipino retired professional basketball player. He last played for the Powerade Tigers in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).http://www.spin.ph/sports/basketball/specia ...

, Miller played a huge role for Red Bull. After an impressive performance against the RP-Hapee Training Pool in which he single-handedly led Red Bull to an overtime win over the Nationals, Miller performances alongside the impressive play of teammate Davonn Harp led to Red Bull's second PBA title in the 2002 Commissioners Cup. He continued his play all the way to the All-Filipino Cup almost leading the Thunder to another finals berth. At season's end, he was selected to the PBA Mythical Team and won the PBA Most Valuable Player Award, the only player in league history to win the award with a scoring average below 10 points a contest. Miller beat teammate Harp for the award. Miller continued to play his usual performances in the 2003, making it to the Mythical Team for the second straight season.

Talk 'N Text (2004–2006)

In the 2004 offseason, Miller was traded by Red Bull to the Talk 'N Text Phone Pals in a one-sided deal. The transaction paved way for a strong backcourt duo between him and 2003 Rookie of the Year

Jimmy Alapag Jim Olmedo Alapag (born December 30, 1977) is a Filipino-American former professional basketball player. He serves as an assistant coach for the Stockton Kings of the NBA G League. He is nicknamed "The Mighty Mouse" and "The Captain". Early life ...

while playing alongside 2003 MVP

Asi Taulava Pauliasi Taulava (born March 2, 1973) is a Tongan-born Filipino professional basketball player for the NLEX Road Warriors of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He is the oldest active player in the league. Standing 6 ft 9 in (2. ...

and veterans Vic Pablo, Mark Telan, and rookie Harvey Carey. During the 2004-05 PBA season, the Phone Pals played in two of the three finals appearances, with Miller playing big roles for the Phone Pals. However, losses to Barangay Ginebra and San Miguel denied Talk 'N Text a championship. However, Miller played big games for the Phone Pals. He was instrumental in Talk 'N Text's come-from-behind win over Ginebra in Game 4 of the 2004-05 PBA Philippine Cup finals and in a losing effort scoring 32 points in Game 6. He was named the 2005 PBA Fiesta Conference Best Player after another strong performance leading Talk 'N Text to the best record during the tournament. At season's end, he was named to the Mythical Team joining Alapag on the spot.

Alaska Aces (2006–2010)

Willie once again played an all-around performance in the 2005-06 season. However, his stellar play could not lead the Phone Pals back to the finals of the Fiesta Conference. At the middle of the 2006 Philippine Cup, Miller was traded to the Alaska Aces as part of a big trade with the Phone Pals. This time, Miller's backcourt partner would be Mike Cortez and with them, Jeffrey Cariaso, Sonny Thoss, and Reynel Hugnatan, the Aces took third-place honors during the conference after falling a game short against Purefoods for a finals berth. In the 2006-07 Philippine Cup, Miller led Alaska in numerous categories for the injury-riddled Aces. In the 2007 Fiesta Conference, he led the Alaska Aces with the help of 2007 PBA Fiesta Conference Best Import Rossell Ellis to the championships once again after 5 years. Winning the championship against Talk 'N Text in seven games despite being down 3-2 in the series making it the club's 12th title. He also bagged the PBA Most Valuable Player once again in that season, as well as the PBA Finals MVP. In the 08-09 PBA Philippine Cup All-Filipino Conference, Miller won his second best player of the conference award, leading his team to the best record in the eliminations and eventually to the championship round. There, Miller performed superbly, averaging 15.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 6.5 assists and making some clutch plays. In Game 2, with Alaska down 84-89 with less than 7 minutes to play, he sparked a fiery rally, scoring six points in a decisive 16-0 run that eventually won them the game. Miller also played the hero in Game 5, where he scored 15 points, including an emphatic (and somewhat ill-advised) game-clinching three-pointer with 8.7 seconds remaining. However, the Aces lost to the

Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters The TNT (cellular service), TNT Tropang Giga is a professional basketball team currently owned by Smart Communications, a subsidiary of the PLDT, Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), playing in the Philippine Basketball Associat ...

in game seven, with Miller missing two free throws in the final 16 seconds that could have tied the game.

Barangay Ginebra Kings (2010–2011)

=2010 Fiesta Conference

= In the middle of the Fiesta Conference, Alaska traded him to Ginebra in exchange for

Cyrus Baguio Cyrus Marata Baguio (born August 19, 1980) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Valenzuela XUR Homes Realty Inc. of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL). He also formerly played in the Philippine Basketball Associati ...

who wanted to have more minutes. On his debut with the Kings, they lost to his former team. Ultimately, they ended their season in the quarterfinals to the Aces.

=2010-2011 Philippine Cup

= Ginebra amassed an impressive 10-4 card but it was only enough for 3rd place if only Miller did not turned the ball at least once in 3 out of there 4 games they could have avoided Alaska and gain Twice-to-beat Advantage. They will win against Alaska though 2-1 with a come from 0-1 deficit while trailing 20 points in the first quarter in game 3. But Miller was just limited to 2 points in game 1 and 1 point in game 3.

=2011 Commissioner's and Governors Cup

= As the season went through, Miller's minutes winded down due to the rising of then rookies John Wilson and Robert Labagala as well as the return of

Mark Caguioa Mark Anthony Yu Caguioa (born November 19, 1979) is a Filipino professional basketball player who last played for the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Known as The Spark and as MC47 from his initials an ...

's superstar game. Before the start of the playoffs of the third conference, he got traded to the then

Air21 Express The Air21 Express were a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) that debuted in the 2011–12 season. The team debuted as the Shopinas.com Clickers during the 2011–12 PBA Philippine Cup. In 2014, the fran ...

who were looking for a guard that could help Dondon Hontiveros.

Barako Bull Energy (2011–2012)

Miller joined the Air21 Express before the start of the 2011-2012 season. The Express renamed its team to Barako Bull Energy after the sale of the majority share of the Energy Food and Drinks, a subsidiary of Photokina Marketing that exclusively distributed Red Bull Energy Drink to the Philippines to the Lina Group of Companies.

GlobalPort Batang Pier (2012–2013)

Miller was involved in the biggest trade during the off-season before the 2012–13 season which sent him first to Barangay Ginebra before landing to GlobalPort.

Barako Bull Energy (2013–2014)

He was back in Barako Bull's arms again after he was traded in the offseason for oft-injured center

Enrico Villanueva Jose Enrico Pascual Villanueva (born June 23, 1980) is a Filipino former professional basketball player. He last played for the NLEX Road Warriors of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Amateur career Villanueva first played for the A ...

. His role in the team is more of a mentor to young guards and a voice in the locker room, though he can score and make plays for his teammates whenever he needs to. He was let go by the team after his contract expired last season and is contemplating retirement.

Return to Talk 'N Text (2015)

He has agreed to terms with the

, a franchise he played several seasons for in the past. He won eventually one Commissioner's Cup title with the Texters.

ASEAN Basketball League

Pilipinas MX3 Kings (2015–2016)

He has agreed to terms with the

Pacquiao Powervit Pilipinas Aguilas Pilipinas MX3 Kings were a Filipino basketball team that played in the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL). The team only played one season in the ABL, mainly because of financial difficulties after Manny Pacquiao pulled out his financial support from th ...

(which was later renamed to

) before the season start, a team which play in the

. He scored 12 points in his ABL debut.

International career

Miller was chosen by head coach

Chot Reyes Vincent "Chot" P. Reyes (born August 1, 1963) is a Filipino basketball head coach for the TNT Tropang Giga for the Philippine Basketball Association. He is also the head coach of the Philippine national basketball team, where he led the team to a ...

to play for the RP Training Pool in 2005. He played well for the Philippines in the FIBA-Asia tournament and participated in the William Jones Cup in Taiwan, when the country finished third. However, Miller played only three games after suffering an injury and was replaced by Denok Miranda. In 2006, Miller played for the team in a Qatar Invitational tournament along with the two-game exhibition against the

Lebanon national basketball team Lebanon national basketball team can refer to: * Lebanon men's national basketball team ** Lebanon men's national under-19 basketball team ** Lebanon men's national under-17 basketball team * Lebanon women's national basketball team ** Lebanon wome ...

. In 2008, he was again included in the RP Training Pool under former coach,

Yeng Guiao Joseller "Yeng" Medina Guiao (born March 19, 1959) is a Filipino professional basketball head coach, politician, commentator and sports commissioner. He is currently the head coach of the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters of the Philippine Basketba ...

. He was among the 12 players for Team Pilipinas that played in the

2009 FIBA Asia Championship The 2009 FIBA Asia Championship for Men was the biennial Asian continental championship and also served as the FIBA Asia qualifying tournament for the 2010 FIBA World Championship. The tournament was held from August 6 to 16, 2009 in Tianjin, Chi ...

PBA career statistics

''Correct as of September 25, 2015''Player Profile
at PBA-Online!

Season-by-season averages

, - , align=left , , align=left , Red Bull , 51 , , 20.5 , , .416 , , .279 , , .759 , , 2.8 , , 2.3 , , .8 , , .1 , , 7.7 , - , align=left , , align=left , Red Bull , 47 , , 25.9 , , .414 , , .306 , , .705 , , 3.6 , , 3.6 , , 1.0 , , .2 , , 9.7 , - , align=left , , align=left , Red Bull , 43 , , 30.0 , , .444 , , .329 , , .792 , , 4.5 , , 3.1 , , 1.4 , , .2 , , 14.2 , - , align=left , , align=left , Talk 'N Text , 80 , , 35.4 , , .384 , , .324 , , .763 , , 5.9 , , 4.7 , , 1.3 , , .2 , , 16.1 , - , align=left , , align=left , Talk 'N Text , 20 , , 33.1 , , .351 , , .311 , , .697 , , 5.3 , , 3.9 , , .9 , , .0 , , 12.2 , - , align=left , , align=left ,

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S. ...

, 28 , , 29.6 , , .388 , , .365 , , .679 , , 4.1 , , 3.0 , , .8 , , .1 , , 12.5 , - , align=left , , align=left ,

, 53 , , 37.7 , , .447 , , .353 , , .661 , , 4.7 , , 5.2 , , .8 , , .1 , , 19.1 , - , align=left , , align=left ,

, 46 , , 36.2 , , .452 , , .353 , , .719 , , 5.2 , , 4.5 , , 1.1 , , .1 , , 20.7 , - , align=left , , align=left ,

, 47 , , 36.0 , , .399 , , .335 , , .663 , , 5.4 , , 4.8 , , .7 , , .1 , , 16.5 , - , align=left , , align=left ,

/ Ginebra , 49 , , 30.6 , , .407 , , .349 , , .712 , , 5.0 , , 4.0 , , .7 , , .1 , , 13.6 , - , align=left , , align=left , Ginebra , 49 , , 26.9 , , .403 , , .354 , , .707 , , 4.0 , , 2.8 , , .6 , , .0 , , 10.9 , - , align=left , , align=left , Barako Bull , 42 , , 35.2 , , .434 , , .309 , , .752 , , 4.5 , , 4.3 , , 1.0 , , .1 , , 14.9 , - , align=left , , align=left , GlobalPort , 38 , , 27.1 , , .378 , , .319 , , .693 , , 4.3 , , 3.5 , , .4 , , .1 , , 11.2 , - , align=left , , align=left , Barako Bull , 33 , , 23.9 , , .393 , , .273 , , .600 , , 3.8 , , 3.0 , , .3 , , .0 , , 9.2 , - , align=left , , align=left , Talk 'N Text , 17 , , 14.5 , , .366 , , .309 , , .800 , , 1.7 , , 1.8 , , .3 , , .0 , , 4.8 , - , align=left , Career , align=left , , 643 , , 30.5 , , .411 , , .331 , , .716 , , 4.5 , , 3.8 , , .9 , , .1 , , 13.5

References

External links

Alaska Aces Willie Miller profile

{{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Willie 1977 births Living people Alaska Aces (PBA) players ASEAN Basketball League players Barako Bull Energy players Barako Bull Energy Boosters players Barangay Ginebra San Miguel players Basketball players from Zambales Filipino people of African-American descent NorthPort Batang Pier players Letran Knights basketball players Philippine Basketball Association All-Stars Philippines men's national basketball team players Filipino men's basketball players Point guards Shooting guards Sportspeople from Olongapo TNT Tropang Giga players Barako Bull Energy Boosters draft picks