"I Always Knew I Could Become A Professional Athlete, I Just Didn't Know How"... The Basketball Story Of Christopher Miller.
Christopher Miller is a world-class athlete specializing in playing basketball at the professional level while also teaching it. Throughout his journey, Miller has played for numerous organizations, which sparked his interest in creating his own business known as Millervision. Millervision was created to mentor and train the next generation of athletes. These are just some of the incredible accomplishments Christopher Miller managed to achieve throughout his professional basketball journey, but how did he become a professional athlete?
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Christopher Miller was brought to this world with a loving family while being the oldest of his five siblings. Growing up, Miller learned important values such as responsibility and the importance of participating in various activities. His mother and father would encourage him to be different from others and instilled the phrase “not better, just different,” which was his mother’s favourite phrase. Being different from everyone else is an opportunity to branch into something new, which is exactly what Miller did later in his life.
Miller was the oldest of his five siblings, which meant that more responsibilities were given to him. From helping his younger siblings to get ready for school to making sure they got all of their homework done, Miller was always an extra helping hand in his family. While he would always help, Miller was also a very competitive person as he constantly wanted to win everything he did. Considering how competitive he was, playing sports was the clear calling card for Miller at a young age.
As a young kid in a small town called Brownsville, Brooklyn, Miller was widely known as a competitive person in his community. His competitive side branched from his relationships with his older cousins. Growing up, Miller was very close with all of his older cousins and consistently played various activities such as monkey bars, tag, biking, or even a casual race across the road. These various activities drove Miller always to want to beat his older cousins but struggled. Every time he tried, he would never be fast enough as he was considerably younger than his cousins.
Constantly losing various competitions between his cousins drove Miller insane, but he would never give up. When he would fall on the monkey bars, he got up and tried again. When he would be peddling behind his cousins, he would peddle faster to get past them. However, basketball was the most competitive sport in his area as everyone around him played the game. While Miller did not play all the time, he would watch his older cousins play, which sparked his interest in playing basketball.
Miller immediately got attached to basketball at a young age. He immediately got invested in the game to the point where he would practice shooting in garbage cans or fire escapes if he was unable to go to the park. Everything about the sport inspired him and, as a result, had a new goal of competing and eventually beating his older cousins, who had slightly more experience in the sport than Miller. In the beginning stages, Miller would lose every time, but it motivated him to get better. At a young age, Miller developed a work ethic with the sole purpose of beating his cousins.
After long hours and days of practicing, Miller eventually beat his cousins and was viewed as one of the best basketball players in his community. What started as a playful rivalry with his cousins ended up being the main reason why Christopher Miller is a professional basketball player today. Miller practiced with the mindset of solely beating his cousins, but basketball took over his life after he did. Developing a proper work ethic is one of the requirements in becoming a professional athlete. With Miller developing one at a young age due to his competitive nature, the next steps were improving his game.
Besides playing the sport, Miller loved watching NBA games and had dreams of making it to the professional level. Watching the great Kobe Bryant inspired him to work harder and develop a “never quit no excuses better than yesterday” mentality. When Miller felt like giving up, he would constantly tell himself, “Kobe never quit, and neither should I.” Bryant played a huge role in Miller’s basketball journey, and even though he never physically saw him, he was the biggest inspiration in Miller’s life. If Kobe Bryant can make it to the professional, then Christopher Miller certainly can!
After practicing and passionately learning about the sport, Miller would increasingly gain an interest in playing professionally. His main goal was to be known as a professional athlete and developed the Mamba mentality at a young age. He was certain that he could make it regardless of what anyone said.
“I always had a dream of playing at the professional level. I always knew I would make it; I just didn’t know-how. Having a dream of playing basketball is hard because all you hear left and right is, “what’s your plan B?” But I honestly never had a plan B. Even when things were tough, I knew I would make it, and I worked toward that. To be in my 6th year playing professionally, I’m proud I followed that dream,” said Christopher Miller.
Many people would ask Miller what his plan B was if his basketball deam was unsuccessful. The fact that he never had one and solely focused on his dream is incredible. Not only did he never give up, but his family also supported his decisions and believed in Miller when he didn’t. It allowed him to make an unbreakable bond with his family as they were his biggest fans growing up. His cousins also played a massive role in his decision to play professional basketball, which encouraged him to train consistently. Even though they were all very competitive, they always supported each other and uplifted one another. When his cousins saw the amount of skill Miller had, they pushed him to play and take his talents to the next level.
Basketball gave Miller many opportunities in his life, but it was more than just a sport for him.
“Basketball to me was a way to get away from everything around me. When I play, nothing else matters. There’s no stress, no pressure from the outside world. All that matters is having fun and shooting hoops. That’s what I value the most about basketball. Every time I play, I feel like the same feeling I felt as a kid, having fun at the park just shooting my basketball.”
When reflecting on Christopher Miller’s journey to basketball, it is truly one of a kind. What started as a playful competitive rivalry with his cousins ended up panning to being the sole reason he became a professional athlete. His incredible work ethic and willingness to never give up originated with the constant competitions he had with his cousins and also following the great path of Kobe Bryant. Miller focused on his vision to become a professional athlete. He stayed determined and fought through many adversities with the sole purpose of living out his dream. With his tough battles throughout his life, Miller launched his own company where he teaches the next generation of athletes and tries to inspire them the same way Kobe Bryant and his cousins did for him. Miller’s journey to greatness has just begun, and with his inspiring mindset of never giving up, the road to success has just begun!
