Mychel Thompson was a four-year player at Pepperdine who started 114 games from 2007-11. Early in his college career, the Waves tried recruiting his younger brother. Klay, the Thompson family’s middle child, took an official visit to campus in Malibu, Calif. In an attempt to get him to commit, Pepperdine called in one of the city’s famous residents: Reggie Miller. Miller’s highlights were essential in Thompson’s basketball education. Thompson admired Miller’s panache in important moments as much as his outside shooting ability. The highlight of Thompson’s visit was a ping-pong match against Miller. “He skunked me 7-0,” Thompson told The Athletic. “To see that competitive side of him — I was 17 — it was really cool.” -via New York Times / December 26, 2024