Cheryl Miller

Cheryl Miller attended Riverside Polytechnic High School in Riverside, California. She was a four-year starter and led the school to a 132–4 record. During her high school career, she became the first athlete, male or female, to be named a Parade All-American four times. She averaged 32.8 points and 15.0 rebounds per game and was named Street & Smith’s National High School Player of the Year in 1981 and 1982.

Miller’s high school career included several major scoring records. In her senior year, she scored 105 points in a single game against Norte Vista High School. She also set California state records for points in a single season with 1,156 and career points with 3,405. On January 26, 1982, she became the first woman to dunk in organized play, according to the supplied material.

Miller enrolled at the University of Southern California and played for the Trojans from 1982 to 1986. As a freshman, she helped USC win the 1983 NCAA championship and was named NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player. She repeated both achievements in 1984, leading USC to a second consecutive NCAA title and winning tournament MOP again.

During her four seasons at USC, Miller was a four-time Kodak All-American and three-time Naismith Player of the Year. She also won the Wade Trophy, Honda Sports Award, Honda-Broderick Cup, and WBCA Player of the Year honors. USC compiled a 112–20 record during her career.

Miller finished her college career with 3,018 points, 1,534 rebounds, 462 steals, 414 assists, and 321 blocks. She averaged 23.6 points and 12.0 rebounds per game over 128 games. In 1986, USC retired her No. 31 jersey, making her the first USC basketball player, male or female, to receive that honor.

After college, Miller did not have a long professional playing career because of knee injuries and the absence of a major U.S. women’s professional league at the time. She moved into coaching and broadcasting. From 1986 to 1991, she worked as an assistant coach at USC and also began working in television.

Miller returned to USC as head coach from 1993 to 1995. Her teams went 44–14, won the 1994 Pac-10 regular-season title, and reached the NCAA Elite Eight in 1994. In 1997, she became the first head coach and general manager of the Phoenix Mercury. She coached the Mercury from 1997 to 2000, compiling a 70–52 regular-season record and leading the team to the 1998 WNBA Finals.

Miller later coached at Langston University from 2014 to 2016 and Cal State Los Angeles from 2016 to 2019. At Langston, she led the program to a 48–12 record across two seasons. She has also worked as a broadcaster and analyst for ABC, ESPN, TBS, TNT, NBA TV, and Olympic coverage. In November 1996, she became the first female analyst to call a nationally televised NBA game.

Cheryl Miller represented the United States in several major international competitions during the 1980s. In 1983, she played for the U.S. team at the FIBA World Championship in Brazil. The United States won the silver medal after losing close games to the Soviet Union. Miller led the team in scoring, averaging 17.6 points per game, and tied for the team lead in rebounding.

That same year, Miller helped the United States win gold at the Pan American Games in Caracas, Venezuela. In 1984, she competed in the R. William Jones Cup in Taipei as part of the U.S. team’s Olympic preparation. The team went undefeated, and Miller led the United States in scoring, rebounding, and steals.

Miller was then part of the United States team that won the gold medal at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. The win was the first Olympic gold medal for the U.S. women’s basketball team.

In 1986, Miller represented the United States at the Goodwill Games in Moscow. The United States defeated the Soviet Union in the final, ending the Soviet team’s long winning run in major international competition. Miller averaged 20.6 points per game and led the team in scoring.

Later in 1986, she helped the United States win the FIBA World Championship in Moscow. In the final against the Soviet Union, Miller scored 24 points as the United States won 108–88. Her international career included Olympic, Pan American, Goodwill Games, Jones Cup, and FIBA World Championship medals.

Cheryl Miller is retired from playing and has worked as a coach, broadcaster, analyst, and sports figure. As a player, she was primarily a small forward. Her game combined scoring, rebounding, steals, passing, shot blocking, and transition play. She was known for all-around production and physical dominance at the forward position, especially during her USC and USA Basketball years

Cheryl Miller was born and raised in Riverside, California. She attended Riverside Polytechnic High School before enrolling at the University of Southern California. She has remained closely associated with California through her playing, coaching, broadcasting, and Hall of Fame recognition.

Miller comes from an athletic family. Her younger brother Reggie Miller became an NBA All-Star with the Indiana Pacers and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Her brother Darrell Miller played Major League Baseball as a catcher.

After injuries ended her playing career, Miller stayed involved in basketball through coaching, broadcasting, and sports advocacy. Her work has included college basketball, the WNBA, NBA coverage, Olympic broadcasting, and women’s sports promotion.

Cheryl Miller’s legacy is connected to the expansion of women’s basketball visibility before the WNBA era. Her high school and college performances made her one of the most recognized women’s basketball players of the 1980s. At USC, she helped establish a national standard for women’s college basketball through back-to-back NCAA championships and record-setting individual production.

Her international career also contributed to the growth of USA women’s basketball. She helped the United States win Olympic gold in 1984 and world championship gold in 1986 during an important period of competition with the Soviet Union.

Miller’s post-playing career extended her influence into coaching and media. She coached USC and the Phoenix Mercury, became the Mercury’s first head coach and general manager, and later coached at Langston and Cal State Los Angeles. As a broadcaster, she became the first female analyst to call a nationally televised NBA game.

Her recognition across the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, FIBA Hall of Fame, and California Hall of Fame reflects her impact as a player, coach, broadcaster, and public figure in basketball.

Miller won two NCAA championships with USC in 1983 and 1984 and was named NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player in both seasons. She was a three-time Naismith Player of the Year from 1984 to 1986, four-time Kodak All-American, Wade Trophy winner, two-time Honda Sports Award winner, Honda-Broderick Cup winner, and two-time WBCA Player of the Year.

USC retired her No. 31 jersey in 1986, making her the first USC basketball player to have a jersey retired. She was later selected by the Associated Press as one of the greatest women’s college basketball players of the poll era.

Internationally, Miller won gold medals at the 1983 Pan American Games, 1984 Olympic Games, 1984 Jones Cup, 1986 Goodwill Games, and 1986 FIBA World Championship. She also won silver at the 1983 FIBA World Championship.

Miller was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1995, the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999, the International Women’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1999, and the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2010. She was inducted into the California Hall of Fame in 2024. The Cheryl Miller Award, introduced in 2018, is presented annually to the top small forward in NCAA Division I women’s basketball.

Cheryl Deann Miller is an American former basketball player, coach, and broadcaster, born on January 3, 1964, in Riverside, California. She is widely recognized as one of the major figures in the development of women’s basketball in the United States. A 6-foot-2 forward, Miller became known for scoring, rebounding, defense, athleticism, and all-around court impact.

Miller first gained national attention at Riverside Polytechnic High School, where she led her team to a 132–4 record and became the first player, male or female, to earn Parade All-American honors four times. She also set California records for single-game points, single-season points, and career points.

At the University of Southern California, Miller led the Trojans to NCAA championships in 1983 and 1984 and was named NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player both years. She won three Naismith Player of the Year awards from 1984 to 1986 and finished her college career with 3,018 points and 1,534 rebounds.

Internationally, Miller helped the United States win gold at the 1983 Pan American Games, the 1984 Olympics, the 1986 Goodwill Games, and the 1986 FIBA World Championship. After injuries ended her playing career, she became a coach and broadcaster, including roles with USC, the Phoenix Mercury, Langston University, Cal State Los Angeles, ABC, ESPN, TBS, TNT, and NBA TV. She was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, and FIBA Hall of Fame.