Harold Miner’s jersey to be retired at USC
As USC’s basketball practice finished Friday, an unfamiliar face joined the players in a huddle.
Trojans Coach Kevin O’Neill introduced the man as the greatest player in the program’s history.
“I want you all to meet Harold Miner,” he said.
Miner’s No. 23 jersey will be retired at Sunday’s USC-UCLA game at the Galen Center. A large photo of him already hangs in the corner of the practice arena.
“I really miss being around the game,” Miner said later. “I’ve been away for a long time.”
He’s been on USC’s campus just twice since he ended his three-season career as the school’s all-time leading scorer (2,048 points) in 1992.
The first visit was last March, during the conference tournament, where the man known as “Baby Jordan” was one of 10 players inducted into the Pac-10 Men’s Basketball Hall of Honor. “Campus is so much different than when I was here,” Miner said. “There’s so many more buildings and shops. It’s crazy how much it’s changed.”
Miner basically disappeared after his four-year NBA career abruptly ended in 1996 because of injuries. “I just wanted to get away from it all,” he said.
He got married, had two children, a boy and a girl. He lives in Las Vegas and said he soon wants to complete his bachelor’s degree in human performance, a branch of kinesiology.
“I’m 20 years removed from school, but I guess it’s better late than never,” he said.
Miner said he might like to work in the strength and conditioning field, perhaps as a trainer, or be a TV analyst. For now, he’s looking forward to Sunday. About 50 friends and family members will be in attendance.
But Miner said he has a simple message for young players, one he learned after his career ended.
“You get to a point where you think it’s going to last forever, that it’s never going to end, so you start to take things for granted, the privilege it is to play basketball,” he said.
“And so, play each game like it’s your last, have passion for it and love what you do.”
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