Terry Mills (basketball)
A versatile big man whose sweet shooting touch helped power Michigan's iconic championship run and fueled a long NBA career.
Born 1967 (age 59)·American basketball player·Birthday: December 21·Generation X
Biography
Terry Mills arrived at the University of Michigan as part of the seismic recruiting class that would become the 'Fab Five's' immediate predecessors. While not part of that famed quintet, his role was just as critical: the steady, skilled veteran on the 1989 team that cut down the nets. At 6'10", Mills possessed a soft shooting touch unusual for a power forward of his era, stretching defenses with his reliable mid-range jumper. Drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks, he embarked on a solid 11-year NBA journey defined by adaptability. Mills was the kind of player coaches valued—a professional who could start or come off the bench, score in double figures, and grab rebounds without demanding plays be called for him. He played for six teams, including a notable stint with the Detroit Pistons, often serving as a key rotational piece on playoff squads. His career stands as a testament to the value of fundamental skill and consistency in the high-flying NBA of the 1990s.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Terry was born in 1967, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Terry Was Born
The biggest hits of 1967
#1 Movie
The Jungle Book
Best Picture
In the Heat of the Night
#1 TV Show
The Andy Griffith Show
Terry's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1967Born
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1972Started school
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1980Became a teenager
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
1983Could drive
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1985Could vote
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
1988Turned 21
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1997Turned 30
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 40
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 50
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 59 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the NCAA National Championship in 1989 as a key member of the University of Michigan Wolverines.
- Played 11 seasons in the NBA, appearing in over 700 games for six different franchises.
- Averaged a career-high 17.3 points per game for the Detroit Pistons during the 1993-94 season.
- Shot an impressive 37.5% from three-point range over his NBA career, a strong mark for a big man in that era.
- Selected 16th overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the 1990 NBA Draft.
Did You Know?
He was a high school teammate of fellow future NBA player Sean Higgins at Romulus High School in Michigan.
Mills wore jersey number 6 for the majority of his NBA career.
He played in 29 playoff games during his NBA tenure, including with the New Jersey Nets and Miami Heat.
After basketball, he returned to the Detroit area and has been involved in community outreach and broadcasting.
His Michigan championship team was coached by Steve Fisher, who took over just before the NCAA tournament.
“My role was to stretch the floor and knock down the open shot.”
