Cheryl Miller
She didn't just dominate women's basketball; she redefined its potential with a style so electric it forced the world to pay attention.
Born 1964 (age 62)·American basketball player·Birthday: January 3·Baby Boomers
Biography
Before there was a WNBA, Cheryl Miller was the standard. Growing up in Riverside, California, her playground battles with younger brother Reggie forged a competitive fire. At the University of Southern California, she became a national phenomenon, leading the Trojans to two NCAA titles in 1983 and 1984 with a combination of athleticism, skill, and swagger rarely seen in the women's game. Her 105-point performance in a high school game remains the stuff of myth. Miller's impact transcended scoring; she played with a charismatic, physical flair that made her must-see television, fundamentally shifting perceptions of what women's basketball could be. Injuries cut her playing career short, but she seamlessly transitioned into broadcasting, becoming a pioneering and authoritative voice for both the NBA and the league she helped birth, the WNBA, which she later coached in.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Cheryl was born in 1964, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Cheryl Was Born
The biggest hits of 1964
#1 Movie
Mary Poppins
Best Picture
My Fair Lady
#1 TV Show
Bonanza
Cheryl's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1964Born
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1969Started school
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1977Became a teenager
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1980Could drive
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1982Could vote
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1985Turned 21
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1994Turned 30
Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $90,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"The Sign" — Ace of BaseBest Picture: Forrest Gump
2004Turned 40
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
2014Turned 50
Russia annexes Crimea; Ebola outbreak in West Africa
Gas: $3.37/galHome: $160,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Happy" — Pharrell WilliamsBest Picture: Birdman
2024Turned 60
AI reshapes industries; Paris Olympics
Gas: $3.31/galHome: $372,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Espresso" — Sabrina CarpenterBest Picture: Anora
2026Age 62 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Led the USC Trojans to back-to-back NCAA national championships in 1983 and 1984.
- Named the Naismith College Player of the Year three times (1984, 1985, 1986).
- Scored a reported 105 points in a single high school game for Riverside Polytechnic in 1982.
- Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1995.
- Became the first woman to call a nationally televised NBA game as a commentator in 1996.
Did You Know?
She is the older sister of former NBA star and fellow Hall of Famer Reggie Miller.
She once dunked in an international game while playing for Team USA.
She was the head coach and general manager of the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury for two seasons.
Her USC jersey number 31 was retired by the university.
“I didn't play like a girl. I didn't play like a boy. I played like Cheryl Miller.”
