Andre Miller is so old, he once had a teammate (Benoit Benjamin) who was born before Lyndon Johnson’s first full term as U.S. president.
And Miller is still playing the NBA.
The 38-year-old Wizards guard is the oldest player to play in the league this season.
He’d lose the title if Ray Allen or Mike James returns, but it seems Miller is committed to outlasting everyone.
Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders:Miller, with his love of the game still resonating strong in his life, his goal is to continue playing until his body can no longer stand the rigors of a grueling NBA season.
“I’d like to say that’s my mentality,” Miller said of playing until the wheels come off. “But I’m preparing for the day the ball stops rolling and bouncing. I know I will eventually have to do something else. I’d like to keep saying, yes, I can keep going but you never know how thing play out.”
“I would like to close it out here,” Miller told Basketball Insiders on finishing his career with the Wizards. “I’m just enjoying this [success] and taking it one game at a time. Putting all my effort into practices and getting the most out of myself as far as being a team player.
“So I haven’t really thought about my contract situation. But of course I will continue to play next year barring any injuries. So let’s see what happens this summer.”
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“Of course.” OF COURSE Miller will continue to play next season. I love how resolute he is in his plans.
Most players Miller’s age hedge and talk about other considerations, but it’s clear his desire to remain in the NBA has not diminished. It’s quite remarkable.
Last season, Miller seemed to fix the Wizards’ problem of hemorrhaging points while John Wall rested. But that hasn’t extended to this season. The Wizards get outscored by eight points per 100 possessions (their offensive rating dropping to 102 and defensive rating jumping to 110) when Miller plays.
It’s hard to blame Miller solely , though. He’s playing an understated game, averaging 4.0 points on 59.6 (!) percent shooting with 3.0 assists and 0.9 turnovers in 12.6 minutes per game. That’s enough to keep better benches afloat.
Miller isn’t the player he once was – who is at that age? – but he’s justifying his place in the league, and he’s clearing that bar by enough to believe that could remain true for years to come.
If you’re a Comcast subscriber in Washington, you can stream tonight’s Wizards-Bulls game here.