Raptors mourn loss of original team member Oliver Miller

Sad news arrived prior to tipoff Wednesday. Oliver Miller, one of the original Toronto Raptors, died at the age of 54. The Raptors confirmed the news, which was originally posted on X by former NBAer Eddie Johnson.

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Miller was the final pick of the 1995 NBA expansion draft involving the Raptors and Vancouver Grizzlies and went on to start 72 of 76 games for the inaugural Raptors, averaging career highs of 12.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists for Brendan Malone’s team, including 35 points in the final game of the season.

Miller, who was listed at 280 pounds, was released after the season though, catching on with the Dallas Mavericks. He would return to the Raptors for 19 games in 1996-97, starting eight, and was signed for a third stint about a month into the 1997-98 campaign, going on to make 64 more appearances, including 53 starts in that disastrous year, the worst in franchise history (the 16-66 team would see star player Damon Stoudamire traded after original general manager Isiah Thomas quit).

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Glen Grunwald, who took over as general manager from Thomas and would go on to lead the franchise to its first successful years, remembered Miller positively.

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“You know, he was a real talent,” Grunwald told Postmedia Wednesday.

“A great feel for the game, great hands, really smart player. But obviously he had a weight issue that held him back, unfortunately,” Grunwald said.

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“He was a nice guy, and you hate to hear that kind of news.”

Miller was the only Raptor to sign and play with the team three separate times. He was a key bench piece on the Phoenix Suns team that made the 1993 NBA Finals, and also a star at Arkansas, including a Final Four appearance, leading to his selection by the Suns with the 22nd pick of the 1992 draft.

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