Former Southwest High, Arkansas and NBA standout Oliver J. Miller, the ‘Big O,’ dies
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Oliver J. Miller, a former star athlete at Southwest High School and later a standout at Arkansas and in the NBA, has died.
He was 54.
Nicknamed “The Big O” because of his 6-foot-9, 300-plus pound body frame, Miller died on Wednesday, March 12, according to longtime Phoenix Suns television analyst Eddie Johnson.
Miller posted on his X account on Feb. 27 that he was battling cancer.
Born on April 6, 1970, he was raised in Fort Worth, where Miller was a star athlete for the Raiders. He then was recruited by basketball coach Nolan Richardson to play for the Razorbacks at the University of Arkansas.
During Miller’s four years at Arkansas, the Razorbacks had one of the most prestigious basketball programs in the country. In that four-year span, Arkansas posted an impressive 115-24 record for a staggering 82.8 winning percentage.
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Miller, who graduated from Southwest High School in 1988, was at the forefront of that massive winning run by the Razorbacks, along with teammates Todd Day and Lee Mayberry. Their efforts helped Arkansas to a pair of second-round appearances in the NCAA tournament, a trip to the Final Four in 1990 and a berth in the Elite Eight in 1991.
“When people came to see us, they didn’t come to see any individuals,’’ Miller told the Star-Telegram in 2016 when he was inducted into the Razorbacks Hall of Fame. “They came to see the Razorbacks.
The Phoenix Suns then selected him with the 22nd overall pick in the 1992 NBA draft.
His weight, sometimes more than 350 pounds, created as much of attention for him as his play on the court. Blessed with soft hands and quick feet, he was an outstanding athlete.
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As a professional, he played in the NBA from 1992 until 1998, then again in the 2003-04 season. Between those two stints and afterward, he also played overseas and also for semi-professional teams. He retired in 2010.
While in the NBA, he played for the Suns (1992-94, 1999-2000), Detroit Pistons (1994-95), Toronto Raptors (1995-96, ‘97-98), Dallas Mavericks (1996-97) and Sacramento Kings (1998-99).
In 493 NBA games, he averaged 7.4 points and 5.9 rebounds.
This story was originally published March 12, 2025 at 6:38 PM.