By ADAM ZAGORIA
Brandon Miller’s tone-deaf “pat-down” intro over the weekend sparked criticism from many in the college basketball world, but it doesn’t seem to have had a negative impact with NBA scouts.
“Those intros are not his idea,” said one NBA executive, who added that it wasn’t a good look for Miller or No. 2 Alabama: “Not at all.”
A second NBA scout said Miller had been doing it all season, and it wasn’t a cause for concern.
“I’ve been at quite a few of their games this year. He’s done it all year long,” the second scout said. “Probably should have understood the moment and people around him probably should have told him to discontinue it but I’m not concerned about that. From everything I’ve heard, he’s been sound in every other facet of his life.”
Said a third NBA scout, when asked if the pat-down gave him pause about Miller’s judgement, “No, he’s a 20-year-old kid that doesn’t know s–t.”
Brandon Miller being introduced during the starting lineups pic.twitter.com/Fen0xT8V8L
— Ryan Hennessy (@RyanWVTM13) February 25, 2023
Shannon Sharpe was among those to rip Miller for the intro.
“I understand that he been doing this routine, but Skip (Bayless), once you become part of a murder investigation, you let that go,” Sharpe said Monday. “It’s inappropriate; someone tragically lost their life. And to the young woman’s family, I am so sorry what transpired. It’s senseless and should not have happened.”
.@ShannonSharpe reacts to Alabama's Brandon Miller's pregame "pat-down" celebration: pic.twitter.com/aPXWi9mpXK
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) February 27, 2023
“But, it’s not funny. It’s not cute,” Sharpe added. “And first of all, you continuously do that. What’s cute? What’s funny about a Black man being patted down? Do you understand what’s going on in America? You think that’s cute?”
Alabama coach Nate Oats said the pat-down intro wouldn’t happen again.
“We dropped the ball, that’s on me,” Oats said Tuesday. “We’ve addressed it and it’s time to move on.”
Miller transported the gun that ended up being used in the tragic shooting death last month of 23-year-old Jamea Harris, the mother of a 5-year-old, near the Alabama campus.
“Brandon never touched the gun, was not involved in its exchange to Mr. Davis in any way, and never knew that illegal activity involving the gun would occur,” his attorney Jim Standridge said in a statement.
Miller, along with two other Alabama players, were named by investigators in a capital murder trial, but Darius Miles was the only player charged.
Miller has not been punished by Alabama.
“What I have tried to think about this entire time is let’s do what we think is right,” Alabama AD Greg Byrne told ESPN “What I felt is that Brandon needed to be treated fairly like any other student-athlete and that’s what’s been driving us through that. Let’s do what we think is right.”
Many of these same NBA personnel said Miller’s initial involvement in the situation would not impact his draft status.
Miller remains the projected No. 3 pick in this year’s NBA Draft per Tankathon.com, while ESPN has him at No. 4.
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