Brad Miller had a pretty successful career in the NBA. Considering that the 6'11''c enter went undrafted in the 1998 NBA Draft but became a two-time All-Star over the course of his 14-year career, it's safe to say that he surpassed the expectations many fans had for him.
Miller was a skilled basketball player, but that's not the only thing he is good at. The former big man also loves to hunt, and Brad recently shared how his love for the game of basketball helped him become a successful hunter.
Comparing basketball to hunting
On the surface, it may not seem like basketball and hunting have much in common. In hoops, you are trying to outscore your opponent, while on the hunt, you are mainly working on finding and shooting whatever it is you are hunting for.
For Miller, though, that's not the way he sees it. Brad explained how his passion for basketball fuels his desire to become a skilled hunter and how the hobby isn't necessarily as straightforward as many folks think it is.
"When I got into hunting, it was about the challenge and the skill," Brad said on All The Smoke. "And that's what basketball is. It's like you have all this passion, and hunting was the release. You're out there, and here comes 12 deer. 'Shoot 'em.' No. That one's this age, this age, there's a skill to it. The wind and playing all the game modes, all that is kind of what got me into hunting even more. You just don't walk out there and shoot s***. There's a lot of skill into it and I want to learn the skill."
"I live by knowing the rules of basketball. The rules of basketball is my life, and that's why I kind of went into hunting, trying to understand how to do different things, and it was a challenge, because you didn't know if you were gonna win or lose. S***, but you're gonna try, same thing as basketball," Miller added.
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Brad shines a light on his passion for hunting
At some point, everyone retires from the NBA, but hunting is something you can do for most of your life, which makes it a good hobby for a former athlete. Having hobbies once you call it a career as a professional athlete is key, and it's great to see that Miller has found one in hunting.
As the Purdue product notes, there's a lot more that goes into hunting than meets the eye. There are several different factors to consider before you pull the trigger, and a simple mistake on one shot could ruin your entire outing.
In a way, that's similar to basketball. You aren't going to attack every opponent in the same exact way, and if you make even one wrong play or move during the course of a 48-minute game, it could end up being the difference between winning and losing.
It may not seem like these two activities have much in common, but Miller proves that isn't true. Hunting isn't for everyone, but for retired NBA players, it may be a hobby worth picking up once they are forced to stop playing basketball.
Related: Mike Bibby shares a crazy Brad Miller story: "He had two dead ducks nailed to my locker"
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