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Diamond Miller

Diamond Miller (born February 11, 2001) is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball for the Maryland Terrapins. Miller attended Franklin High School in Somerset, New Jersey, where she was rated a five-star recruit by ESPN and earned McDonald's All-American honors in 2019. At Maryland, she was named an All-American as a senior, won Most Outstanding Player of the 2021 Big Ten tournament and left as a three-time All-Big Ten selection. Miller won a gold medal with the United States national team at the 2021 FIBA Women's AmeriCup. She was selected 2nd overall in the 2023 WNBA draft by the Minnesota Lynx.

Diamond Miller
Miller with the Minnesota Lynx in 2023
No. 1 – Minnesota Lynx
PositionShooting guard
LeagueWNBA
Personal information
Born (2001-02-11) February 11, 2001 (age 23)
Montclair, New Jersey, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight179 lb (81 kg)
Career information
High schoolFranklin (Somerset, New Jersey)
CollegeMaryland (2019–2023)
WNBA draft2023: 1st round, 2nd overall pick
Selected by the Minnesota Lynx
Playing career2023–present
Career history
2023–presentMinnesota Lynx
2023SERCO UNI Győr
Career highlights and awards
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Medals
Women's basketball
Representing the  United States
FIBA AmeriCup
Gold medal – first place 2021 Puerto Rico Team
FIBA Under-19 World Cup
Gold medal – first place 2019 Thailand Team
FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship
Gold medal – first place 2017 Argentina Team

Early life

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Miller grew up playing basketball and soccer. In her childhood, she played basketball with her two older sisters, Adreana and LaNiya,[1] who inspired her to pursue the sport.[2][3] Miller looked up to Candace Parker, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant.[4][5] She was coached by her father, Lance, with Team Miller Lightning in the Amateur Athletic Union.[4] Miller was a four-year varsity player at Franklin High School in Somerset, New Jersey.[2] She averaged 15.5 points per game as a freshman.[6] In her sophomore season, Miller averaged 18.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.8 blocks per game,[2] leading Franklin to a New Jersey Tournament of Champions and Group 4 state titles.[7][8]

As a junior, Miller averaged 23.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 3.8 blocks per game, and was named Courier News Player of the Year for 2018. She broke her own program single-season scoring record and surpassed her sister, Adreana, as Franklin's all-time leading scorer.[9] Miller led her team to the Group 4 state championship, scoring 27 points against Toms River High School North in the title game.[10] In her senior season in 2018–19, she averaged 21.8 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game, repeating as Courier News Player of the Year. Miller led her team to a 34–0 record, another Tournament of Champions title,[11] and the Group 4 state title.[12] She was named New Jersey Gatorade Player of the Year,[13] NJ.com Player of the Year,[14] and USA Today New Jersey Player of the Year.[15] She was selected to play in the McDonald's All-American Game.[16]

Miller was considered a five-star recruit and the number 17 player in the 2019 class by ESPN.[17] She received her first college basketball scholarship offer from Villanova, her father's alma mater, in eighth grade.[3] On March 10, 2018, she committed to playing college basketball for Maryland over an offer from Notre Dame. Miller was drawn to the program by its coaching staff and proximity.[18] On November 14, she signed her National Letter of Intent with Maryland.[19]

College career

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Miller with Maryland at the 2023 Big Ten tournament

In her freshman season at Maryland, Miller was a key reserve for Maryland.[20] On November 24, 2019, she scored a season-high 17 points in a 107–52 win against Quinnipiac.[21] As a freshman, Miller averaged 7.7 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.[1] Her team won the Big Ten tournament and were contenders for the NCAA tournament, which was canceled amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Miller assumed a leading role alongside Ashley Owusu in her sophomore season.[22] On December 3, 2020, she scored a season-high 28 points, shooting 5-of-7 from three-point range, in a 112–78 win over Towson.[23] Miller posted 15 points and six assists in a 104–84 win against Iowa to capture her second Big Ten tournament title. She was named tournament Most Outstanding Player.[24] As a sophomore, Miller averaged 17.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.9 assists, earning first-team All-Big Ten honors.[25]

She was limited to begin her junior season due to a lingering knee injury, and missed 10 of her first 12 games.[26] On January 6, 2022, Miller scored a season-high 24 points in a 106–78 victory over Penn State.[27] She scored 24 points, with nine rebounds, three assists and three steals, in an 89–65 win over Florida Gulf Coast at the second round of the 2022 NCAA tournament.[28] As a junior, Miller averaged 13.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game, making the All-Big Ten second team.[29][30] Following the season, she underwent knee surgery and was sidelined for three to six months.[31] On November 20, 2022, Miller recorded a career-high 32 points and 10 rebounds in a 73–68 win over Baylor.[32] On December 1, she had 31 points, 12 rebounds and five assists, making the game-winning buzzer-beater, in a 74–72 victory over Notre Dame.[33] Miller was a unanimous first-team All-Big Ten selection by the league's coaches and media.[34] She was named a second-team All-American by the Associated Press and the United States Basketball Writers Association, and made the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Coaches' All-America team.[35] As a senior, Miller averaged 19.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.1 steals per game, and set the program single-season record with 201 free throws made.[36][37] She declared for the 2023 WNBA draft, where she was considered one of the top prospects.[37]

Professional career

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Minnesota Lynx

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Miller was selected 2nd overall in the 2023 WNBA Draft by the Minnesota Lynx.[38] Miller made her WNBA debut on May 19, 2023, against the Chicago Sky as a starter scoring 9 points and grabbing 7 rebounds.[39] In the July 26, 2023, Lynx home game against the Washington Mystics, she became the first WNBA rookie to ever score 20 or more points (she had 21), have 9 or more assists, and only have 1 or no turnovers.[40] The WNBA named her the Rookie of the Month for July 2023.[41] She was named to the 2023 WNBA All-Rookie team along with her teammate, Dorka Juhász.[42] In her rookie year, Miller became the third Lynx player to tally "at least 380 points, 110 rebounds, 30 steals and 10 blocks, joining Napheesa Collier (2019) and Maya Moore (2011) to achieve this feat."[43]

SERCO UNI Győr

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Miller signed with this Hungarian team to play after the completion of the 2023 WNBA season.[44] Unfortunately she could play only one EuroLeague game (vs Bologna: 24 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists) and one Hungarian League game (vs BEAC: 16 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists). On 13 December 2023, Miller was waived by the Győr because of her knee injury.[45]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game  RPG  Rebounds per game
 APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game  BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game
 TO  Turnovers per game  FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 Bold  Career best ° League leader

WNBA

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Regular season

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WNBA regular season statistics
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2023 Minnesota 32 32 26.1 .403 .307 .792 3.5 2.5 0.9 0.3 2.3 12.1
2024 Minnesota 21 4 10.1 .304 .192 .583 1.8 0.6 0.3 0.0 0.9 2.9
Career 2 years, 1 team 53 36 19.8 .387 .283 .750 2.8 1.8 0.7 0.2 1.7 8.5

Playoffs

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WNBA playoff statistics
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2023 Minnesota 3 3 23.0 .261 .222 .667 1.3 2.0 1.0 0.0 0.3 5.3
2024 Minnesota 6 0 0.7 — — — 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Career 2 years, 1 team 9 3 8.1 .261 .222 .667 0.4 0.7 0.3 0.0 0.1 1.8

College

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NCAA statistics[46]
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2019–20 Maryland 32 3 19.1 40.9 31.5 73.4 3.2 1.8 0.9 0.6 1.6 7.7
2020–21 Maryland 29 29 27.5 50.6 35.5 79.3 5.8 2.9 1.4 1.0 2.6 17.3
2021–22 Maryland 22 18 28.5 40.8 31.6 78.6 4.0 2.8 1.4 0.9 3.0 13.1
2022–23 Maryland 34 34 28.8 47.6 22.0 79.8 6.4 2.9 2.1 1.3 3.2 19.7
Career 117 84 25.7 45.9 30.3 78.7 4.9 2.6 1.5 0.9 2.6 14.6

National team career

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Miller represented the United States at the 2017 FIBA Under-16 Women's Americas Championship in Argentina. She averaged 6.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and two steals per game, helping her team win the gold medal.[47] Miller recorded 10 points, four rebounds and two steals in a 91–46 win over Canada in the final.[4] She was a late addition to the United States team for the 2019 FIBA Under-19 Women's Basketball World Cup in Thailand.[5] Miller averaged two points and 1.3 rebounds per game en route to a gold medal.[48] She made her debut for the United States senior national team at the 2021 FIBA Women's AmeriCup in Puerto Rico.[49] Miller averaged 4.7 points, four rebounds and two assists per game for the gold medal-winning team.[50]

Personal life

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Miller is the daughter of Dreana and Lance Miller.[51] Her father played professional basketball in Europe after a college career at Villanova. Miller's two sisters have played college basketball: Adreana at La Salle and Ohio State, and LaNiya at Stony Brook and Wagner.[1] She majored in family science at the University of Maryland, College Park.[51]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Ashley, Mike (January 19, 2021). "As Diamond Miller Shines Bright, So Too Does Maryland Women's Basketball". PressBox. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c "Diamond Miller". USA Basketball. Archived from the original on July 28, 2021. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Han, Giana (October 10, 2019). "Freshman Diamond Miller ready to 'rock and roll' with Maryland women's basketball". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c Fader, Mirin (July 20, 2017). "Already golden, Diamond Miller collects glowing reviews for her rare versatility". ESPN. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
  5. ^ a b Blockus, Gary R. (July 18, 2019). "USA Women's U19 World Cup Roster Selection Better Late Than Never for Diamond Miller". USA Basketball. Red Line Editorial. Archived from the original on July 19, 2019. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
  6. ^ Pincus, Simeon (December 15, 2016). "Girls Basketball: CN-area team-by-team preview capsules". Courier News. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
  7. ^ Kallam, Clay (April 8, 2017). "2016-17 MaxPreps Girls Basketball All-American Team". MaxPreps. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  8. ^ Deakyne, Brian (March 12, 2017). "Stars of the game: No. 10 Sayreville vs. No. 12 Franklin". NJ.com. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  9. ^ Pincus, Simeon (March 27, 2018). "Girls basketball: Franklin's Diamond Miller is the CN Player of the Year". Courier News. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  10. ^ Lerner, Gregg (March 12, 2018). "Toms River North bows to Franklin in Group 4 Final". Shore Sports Network. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  11. ^ Pincus, Simeon (March 20, 2019). "NJ girls basketball: Franklin's Diamond Miller is the CN Player of the Year". Courier News. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  12. ^ Melchiorre, Chris (March 10, 2019). "Diamond Miller, Franklin beat Lenape, 73-35, for the Group 4 state girls' title". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  13. ^ Bowman, Bill (March 8, 2019). "Lady Warrior Diamond Miller Named 2018-19 Gatorade NJ Girls' Basketball Player Of The Year". Franklin Reporter & Advocate. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  14. ^ Gould, Brandon (March 25, 2019). "Diamond Miller of Franklin is NJ.com's girls basketball Player of the Year for 2018-19". NJ.com. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  15. ^ "2018-19 ALL-USA New Jersey Girls Basketball Team". USA Today High School Sports. April 17, 2019. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  16. ^ Newman, Josh (March 26, 2019). "McDonald's All-American Game: Diamond Miller's legend grows with McDonald's nod". Asbury Park Press. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  17. ^ "Diamond Miller 2019 High School Girls' Basketball Profile". ESPN. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
  18. ^ Bowman, Bill (March 11, 2018). "Lady Warrior Diamond Miller Makes Verbal Commitment To University Of Maryland". Franklin Reporter & Advocate. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
  19. ^ Kipp, Guy (November 14, 2018). "Franklin's Diamond Miller Signs Letter of Intent with University of Maryland". TAPinto. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
  20. ^ Martin, Gus (February 29, 2020). "Diamond Miller has shed her struggles to become a key bench piece for Maryland basketball". The Diamondback. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  21. ^ Wallace, Ava (November 24, 2019). "As rookies lead Maryland past Quinnipiac, Terps' veterans settle into new roles". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  22. ^ Copeland, Kareem (January 13, 2021). "Dynamic sophomores Ashley Owusu and Diamond Miller are powering an explosive Maryland offense". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  23. ^ Shankar, Varun (December 7, 2020). "Ashley Owusu and Diamond Miller are three-point threats for Maryland women's basketball". The Diamondback. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  24. ^ Wilson, Phillip B. (March 13, 2021). "Maryland routs Iowa, 104-84, to capture Big Ten women's basketball tournament". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  25. ^ Milligan, Rashad (August 9, 2021). "Maryland guard Diamond Miller on Ashley Owusu, Sweet 16 loss and AmeriCup experience". Swish Appeal. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  26. ^ Copeland, Kareem (March 17, 2022). "Diamond Miller says she's back to being herself — just in time for Maryland". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  27. ^ Stevens, Patrick (January 6, 2022). "Diamond Miller scores 24 points to lead No. 10 Maryland women's basketball over Penn State, 106-78". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  28. ^ "Miller scores 24, Terps roll past Florida Gulf Coast 89-65". USA Today. Associated Press. March 20, 2022. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  29. ^ Northam, Mitchell (April 6, 2022). "Another key Maryland women's basketball player enters transfer portal". 247Sports. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  30. ^ Dickson, Ben (March 1, 2022). "Six Maryland women's basketball players earn Big Ten honors". Testudo Times. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  31. ^ Dickson, Ben (April 6, 2022). "Maryland women's basketball forward Mimi Collins to transfer, guard Diamond Miller to undergo knee surgery". Testudo Times. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  32. ^ Decker, Ian (November 20, 2022). "Diamond Miller scores career-high 32 as Maryland women's basketball defeats Baylor, 73-68". The Diamondback. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  33. ^ Copeland, Kareem (December 1, 2022). "Pressure makes Diamond (Miller), and Terps benefit in win over Irish". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  34. ^ Copeland, Kareem (February 28, 2023). "Maryland's Diamond Miller is a unanimous all-Big Ten first-team selection". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  35. ^ "Diamond Miller Named to WBCA Division I Coaches All-America Team". University of Maryland Athletics. March 30, 2023. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  36. ^ Franklin, Paul (April 10, 2023). "'God gifted me': Maryland star Diamond Miller oozes confidence in leadup to WNBA draft". Courier News. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  37. ^ a b Lee, Edward (March 30, 2023). "Maryland's Diamond Miller declares for WNBA draft; three of Terps' four freshmen enter transfer portal". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  38. ^ "Maryland guard Diamond Miller selected No.2 overall in WNBA draft". cbshews.com. CBS News. April 11, 2023. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  39. ^ "Sky vs. Lynx boxscore". wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  40. ^ Tribune, Kent Youngblood Star. "Lynx hold onto precarious lead to polish off Mystics". Star Tribune. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  41. ^ "Minnesota Lynx Forward Diamond Miller Named WNBA Rookie of the Month". Minnesota Lynx. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
  42. ^ "Minnesota Lynx Dorka Juhász and Diamond Miller Named to 2023 WNBA All-Rookie Team". Minnesota Lynx. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  43. ^ "Minnesota Lynx Dorka Juhász and Diamond Miller Named to 2023 WNBA All-Rookie Team". Minnesota Lynx. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
  44. ^ MitchellHansen (October 2, 2023). "Minnesota Lynx Offseason Update Vol. 1: Overseas Play Gets Underway". Canis Hoopus. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
  45. ^ "Diamond Miller távozik | UNI Győr".
  46. ^ "Diamond Miller College Stats". Sports-Reference. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  47. ^ "Diamond Miller (USA)'s profile – FIBA U16 Women's Americas Championship 2017". FIBA. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
  48. ^ "Diamond Miller (USA)'s profile – FIBA U19 Women's Basketball World Cup 2019". FIBA. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
  49. ^ "Maryland's Diamond Miller, Ashley Owusu named to final roster for USA Basketball women's AmeriCup team". The Baltimore Sun. July 7, 2021. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
  50. ^ "Diamond Miller (USA)'s profile – FIBA Women's AmeriCup 2021". FIBA. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
  51. ^ a b "Diamond Miller – Women's Basketball". University of Maryland Athletics. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
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