Even Reggie Miller‘s teammates could expect to hear an earful from one of the NBA’s most notorious trash talkers. But in his rookie season, Al Harrington nearly got into a fight with the Hall of Famer because he didn’t like his verbal taunts.
Harrington recounted how the presenter and Miller once set off his triggers to the point that he felt like punching them during an appearance on Mark Jackson’s Come And Talk 2 Me program.
Al Harrington talks about wanting to hit Reggie Miller and Mark Jackson
Following a contentious workout with Jackson and the seasoned guard, rookie Harrington confided in forward Antonio Davis about his issues with both players. He warned him that he would not think twice to use force if the two guards persisted in their actions. He said :
“One day in practice, you[Mark Jackson] and Reggie would not leave me alone… I went home that day and I was sitting in the kitchen because I was living with Antonio Davis my rookie year. He came in and he said something to me and the way I said it, he was like, ‘What’s wrong with you?’… I said, ‘Tomorrow either one of them say something me, I am swinging on them.’”
In addition to cautioning Harrington against employing physical force, Davis clarified that rookie hazing is a necessary rite of passage for all players in the league. His temper boiled over, and he managed to talk Jackson and Miller out of a fight.
Perhaps the Hall of Fame guard would have been cautious about hazing another rookie if the youngster had followed through.
