When making a case for the NBA GOAT, 3 names are sure to top the list every time: Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Kobe Bryant. The Chicago Bulls legend stood as the face of the league from the mid-80s till the late 90s, while the late Black Mamba wore the attention crown after that. The two stars mirrored each other based on their basketball skills, intense competitive drive, and early career trajectory. As CBS Sports reporter Brad Botkin highlighted, “You have to imagine he saw a lot of himself in young Kobe”. Therefore, the older generation of basketball fans would generally go towards Jordan, while the one that came before them would choose Kobe. Hercy Miller might take a different path altogether, though.
Southern Utah Thunderbirds guard Hercy Miller was recently interviewed by EssentiallySports’ very own Andrew Whitelaw. During the conversation, Whitelaw asked the young athlete about his favorite player. Miller admitted that, just like many basketball enthusiasts of his generation, he was a Kobe Bryant fan while growing up. Miller recalled being impressed by almost everything the Black Mamba put on display. This included his hard work, the way he spoke to people, his dressing style, his movement, etc.
Since Miller grew up during the Jordan-Kobe era, one might think that he would choose one of them as his favorite player. However, Master P’s son chose to snub both legends in favor of another! “Chris Paul’s my favorite player. Grew up around him, trained with him,” said Miller. “So, it just crazy seeing how being close to someone can really impact you”.
Master P’s family, which includes his ex-wife Sonya C. Miller, their 7 children, and 1 nephew, initially lived in the same neighbourhood as Chris Paul. The NBA star was with the Los Angeles Clippers back then. While Hercy has publicly not spoken much about this fact, his younger brother, Mercy, recalled how he used to head down to Paul’s house and hoop with him, and the NBA player’s younger kids. Therefore, Hercy himself got ample opportunities to practice alongside Paul from time to time. Having that personal connection only helped to elevate Chris Paul in Hercy’s mind.
Jan 6, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Chris Paul (3) looks on during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
Even if Hercy did not know Paul personally, the NBA star could have still been the young player’s favorite. After all, as Shaun Powell wrote back in November 2023, “There’s no bigger contradiction in the NBA than Chris Paul, who made every team he ever played for better … but is still looking for a championship.”
Despite his relatively small size of 6 feet, 175 pounds, Paul created a major impression from the start of his basketball career as a fierce competitor. As the ‘Leader of Lob City’, and alongside Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, Paul established a memorable run for the LA Clippers. He wrapped up his first season with the Clippers, averaging 19.8 ppg, 9.1 assists, and a league-best 2.5 steals. He also became the first Clipper to earn first-team All-NBA honors!
Now, as Chris Paul continues making an impact alongside the San Antonio Spurs, he is among the most experienced and talented point guards in the modern NBA. It might be hard for some to place Chris Paul on the same pedestal as Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, since he never won even a single championship. However, Paul is more of a role player who often helps other star players shine brighter. If it were up to him, he could have made Kobe’s legacy quite similar to Michael Jordan’s.
Vince Carter once claimed that Kobe Bryant would have 6 championships if Chris Paul’s 2011 trade had gone unaltered
Chris Paul was drafted to the NBA back in 2005. Therefore, he faced Kobe Bryant several times on the NBA court. However, would it interest you to know that the duo could have actually become teammates? Back in December 2011, Chris Paul was among the then-New Orleans Hornets players included in a three-team trade with the Los Angeles Lakers and the Houston Rockets. At that time, the New Orleans Hornets were owned by the NBA itself, under the control of the then league commissioner David Stern. Stern rejected Paul’s trade under the reported claim that New Orleans would be better off by keeping him.
While the teams involved in the transaction attempted to fix things, Paul eventually ended up going to the Los Angeles Clippers. This was a major loss, as Vince Carter would later discuss. “If P (Chris Paul) goes there, first of all I was like wow, how are they able to do that? That would be a cheat code with Kobe and CP3 together,” said Carter in 2021. “If that were to happen, Kobe would have his sixth ring, the Lakers would add another ring to their dynasty, CP3 will definitely have a ring and he would still be playing with the Lakers right now”.
True enough. After all, by not pairing one of the greatest offensive players with a point guard like Chris Paul, the chance for one of the greatest one-two punches in NBA history slipped away.
After Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers won the championship in 2010 by besting the Boston Celtics, they were on the verge of trying the 3-peat. However, Kobe, suffering from the “worst ankle sprain” of his life back then, contributed to the Lakers falling short in the 2011 Playoffs. The Lakers could not recover in time, and Kobe retired in 2016. However, if David Stern had not chosen to intervene, Kobe could have had some major support.
Now that Hercy finds himself in a similar role, as he shared with EssentiallySports, he is looking to steal a page or two out of Paul’s books. Because for him, it is never just the numbers. Stepping into a leadership role with the responsibility of being an anchor for the team, he said, “I had to play a role where we really had to depend on myself with injury and everything…So I feel like just kind of being like a guard like a Chris Paul to where I can lead others and still do my thing.”
It’s fair to say that for Hercy, Chris Paul isn’t just a distant legend, but a tangible influence. And an influence that mirrors his own aspirations. Well, as they say, being close to your idols can really impact you and we are all tuned in to see how far that stretches.
The post Master P’s Son Passes Michael Jordan & Kobe Bryant to Pick Current Spurs Star as His Idol (Exclusive) appeared first on EssentiallySports.
