Oliver Miller, who starred at center for Arkansas ahead of a lengthy NBA career, died at age 54, the National Basketball Retired Players Association announced on Wednesday.
No cause of death was stated.
He played nine seasons in the NBA for six teams, including three seasons each with the Phoenix Suns and the Toronto Raptors.
Miller was the Southwest Conference Player of the Year for the Razorbacks as a junior in 1990-91, when he averaged 15.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and a national-best 2.9 blocked shots per game.
A season earlier, he put up 11.1 points and 6.3 boards per game as Arkansas advanced to the Final Four, where it lost to Duke.
Arkansas athletics tweeted on Wednesday, “We are deeply saddened by the passing of Arkansas legend Oliver Miller. A key member of the 1990 Final Four team, an SWC Hall of Famer, a first round NBA draft pick and a true embodiment of the Razorback spirit. We love you Big O. Our thoughts are with his family.”
Selected by Phoenix with the 22nd overall pick of the 1992 NBA Draft, Miller also appeared in the NBA for the Detroit Pistons, the Raptors, the Dallas Mavericks, the Sacramento Kings and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
In 493 career NBA games (196 starts), Miller averaged 7.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.5 blocks. His best season was 1995-96 with Toronto, when he contributed 12.9 points, 7.4 boards, 2.9 assists and 1.9 blocks per contest.
