Tales from the Trails: Beyond Basketball With Larry Miller
By: Janna Mock-Lopez
Larry Miller. In the pure context of names, this is an ordinary name. But in the universe of sports marketing, branding and leadership, Larry Miller, Portland’s own top Trail Blazer cheerleader Larry Miller, this name represents an extraordinary force of precision, diplomacy and finesse.
Miller’s professional path of accounting and marketing at Jantzen swimwear, then 10 years at Nike, Inc. including a lengthy stint as President of Jordan Brand (perhaps you’ve seen that “Jumpman” Jordan logo?), led him to land the perfect spot as the Portland Trail Blazers president in 2007.
It’s no secret that Portland has a loyal and fierce love affair with the Trail Blazers. Indeed our team has some young talent on the rise. The roster is impressive. Out of respect for fan support, the Trail Blazers also spend a great deal of time off the court connecting with generations of fans for a range of reasons including charitable involvement, youth sports development and community outreach.
The extent of today’s Blazermania is not serendipitous. Just walk into the team’s corporate office, head down a long hall until you reach the end, find your way into the cozy corner office where Miller contemplates big deals, tough losses and the team’s future. Sitting beside him, you’ll feel the hope and enthusiasm unfold…
Janna: Do you still get that excitement when the Blazers beat a good team, when the odds are against them, everyone on the team practically shows up on crutches, yet they win anyway?
Larry: I’m still as much of a fan as I ever was. I try not to get excited, but I remember last year, Brandon hit a shot to win the game against Houston. With 8/10ths of a second left, Roy hit a three-pointer. I ran out on the court and hugged him. I definitely still get excited.
J: There are probably a lot of fans who wish they could do that, but you get to actually do it!
L: That’s one of the benefits of having this job; I get to experience some pretty cool things.
J: Going back to the time at Nike, which was obviously
a big part of your professional life, what lead you to where you are now? What do you personally bring from that time?
L: First of all, Nike is an incredible company. I thoroughly enjoyed my time working there. I met and got to interact with some amazing people. From a personal perspective, when I left Jantzen to work for Nike, it was like going from the D-League to the NBA. Jantzen was a great company as well, but small, and didn’t act, function or think the way Nike does. It was an opportunity to prove I could function in the big leagues, in the NBA. I learned a tremendous amount at Nike, not just business-wise, but things about life and how to interact with people.
One of the things about Nike is that it’s a team-oriented organization. You have to understand how to work with people, how to get things done. Connecting with other people was a skill I had to learn. It’s helped me, not just in work, but also outside of work. In life, connecting with and being able to relate to other people is an important part
of life.
J: Being a “team player” is a cliché that people overuse. I interpret it to mean a good listener, keen observer and to have the ability to put yourself aside for the greater good.
L: I totally agree with that. It’s like, in order to win, to be part of a successful team, often you have to put your individual goals aside. And
I mean all the time, not just sometimes. What makes a successful team is when everybody is focused on the team goals. That’s what
everybody is moving towards and focused on. I think what happens is, your individual goals get met in spite of being focused on the overall team goals.
When I was at Jantzen, I brought a guy in to speak to our sales folks at a meeting. His name was Rocky Bleier. Rocky Bleier used to play for the Pittsburg Steelers. He was a running back, but he was really more of a blocking back than carrying the ball. Franco Harris was the main ball carrier during that time. Rocky told a story that stuck with me.
He said they were going into the last game of the season and he realized going into that game that he needed something like 104 yards to get a 1000-yard rushing-mark season. Back then it was a really big deal, especially for someone like him who wasn’t the main ball carrier. He said they needed to win this game to make it to the playoffs. He said all he could think about was getting the thousand yards. He goes out and they plays the first half. They had a horrible first half. They were behind at half-time.
He said he went into the locker room and sat down in a corner by himself and was thinking about what was wrong, why they were playing so horribly and why were they behind. Then he said it dawned on him that he was putting his individual goal ahead of the team goal. He then made up his mind, “I’m going out there and play for us to win this game and that’s the goal.”
He went out in the second half and they started rolling. They got ahead and the game was almost over. It was winding down and they were ahead. He looked over at the sideline and one of the coaches said, “Rock, four, four! You need four yards to get your 1000!” So they gave him the ball and he got his 1000. They went on to win the Superbowl that season.
J: That’s an amazing accomplishment…
L: They key takeaway was that if you put the team goals first, you’ll accomplish your individual goals. When the team wins, everybody wins. That’s one thing that makes Nike a successful organization, and it’s something that helped me be somewhat successful at Nike.
J: In the time that you’ve been with the Trail Blazers, what’s something you’ve accomplished that you’re proud of?
L: A lot of the positive that is happening now was started before I got here. One of the things that made me willing to take the job and come here was that I could see things moving in the right direction. Paul Allen had already made some changes in terms of bringing in Nate McMillan, who’s a great coach; putting Kevin Pritchard in the role that he’s in. I saw how I could contribute to what was already moving in the right direction.
What I’ve been able to add is maybe the idea of a culture that’s a little more open, a little more inclusive in terms of making sure everybody feels they’re part of the team and that everybody is contributing to the things we’re accomplishing. Everybody is involved and everybody’s important in our success.
On a lot of teams, there’s a bridge between the basketball people and the business people. It’s almost like they’re two separate organizations. What’s going to make us successful is that we’re all working together towards common goals, so people in the business area understand we have to win on the court to be successful, and people in the basketball area understand we have to focus on winning off the court. We have to sell tickets and sponsorships, and focus on the bottom line.
J: It seems your definition of team success has broadened. Sure people want a championship, but the community-wide initiative, “Make it Better” campaign is a great example, including the Heart of the Community awards [with which Goodness partners.] I’ve attended a few of the fan appreciation events you do at Big Al’s. I see this communal connection and have been moved by the spirit.
To me that mutual fan-team affinity showed me what “success” had become. There was a grandmother sitting there with her 17-year-old grandson. She told me she’d been bringing him to games since he was a baby. It was their bond and tradition. When you go to a game at the Rose Garden, it’s so huge and so vast, yet every one of those seats is filled with a fan and a story.
L: The Trail Blazers definitely have a special place in this community for a lot of people. It’s not just winning and losing games, it’s who this team is and what we represent to the community. We’ve gotten back to a point where the team represents something that people can be proud of whether we win or lose.
One of the things that I try to do pretty much at every game is walk around the concourse and interact with people. People at every game come up to me and say, “I want to thank you guys for what you’ve done to get this organization back to where we can be proud of it.”
I remember one guy came up and said, “My company’s been a season ticket holder for a long time. For a while, I stopped coming to games and gave the tickets away because I have young kids. I didn’t want to bring my kids to games based on the type of players that were here. Now my kids & I are at every game. We’re really proud of what this organization represents again.”
Our goal is to win a championship, of course, but I think it’s not just about winning and losing games, it’s about having a team that this community can be proud of, and I think we’re at that point. We have a good group of players here.
J: I’d love to be able to teach character or sportsmanship to my 5-year-old son. He plays Wii – throws the controller down when he’s losing.
L: It’s not that we don’t want to win. Our goal is to bring in players who are great, talented players who are competitive, but who also have good character, are good people at the end of the day.
J: You have lots of examples of that.
L: That’s what this community is responding to when people are feeling good about where the Trail Blazers are.
J: Can you remain relatively anonymous in Portland?
L: I like being anonymous.
Unfortunately, this is no longer the case. I knew that coming into the job. When I was at Nike, I could be anonymous. I was running the Jordan business out there and I had a pretty big job, but I could move around. Now, part of this job is the public part of the job, the media part of the job. I knew I would be giving up some of that ability to be anonymous. I’ve gone to the supermarket and people are like, (lifts his fist into the air) “Go Blazers!”
J: I’m pretty amazed at how accessible the team has become to the public. I lived in L.A. back in the day, and I never saw the Lakers doing stuff like a fan appreciation day where they went bowling at place like Big Al’s and allowed fans to hang with the players. Unless you were courtside with Jack Nicholson, you didn’t interact with the team.
L: We try to create an environment where the players are having fun, too. At Big Al’s, the guys go out and have fun. The first year, we had to drag Greg Oden out because he was playing guitar hero or something. We want players to interact with the fans and also be sure they understand it’s because of the fans that they have a job. They live the lifestyle they have because of fan support.
J: Do you think this connection to fans
fosters humility in them as people, not just
as players?
L: I think it does.
J: Do you think that’s important? When I was growing up, basketball greats were the Pistons, Celtics or Lakers where the team came first. Somehow, it evolved into a focus of high-dollar contracts, show-boater individuals, and it had gotten harder to cultivate a player’s responsibility to fans or their teams.
L: The NBA has done a good job of bringing that back. Across the NBA right now there’s a focus on making sure that fans feel good about the game, the players and the teams. That’s attributed to David Stern and the folks at the NBA.
J: I read about your pre-professional career days as a limo driver. Was it interesting to be around people who had prestige or wealth?
L: It was interesting to see how different people acted or treated you as a limo driver. For the most part, people were good. That’s something I learned and try to remember. Treat everybody the same – with respect and dignity – regardless of what their job is. Everybody has a job to do. Everybody’s job is important and everybody’s job contributes to what we’re trying to accomplish.
J: At night when you put your head on your pillow, which Larry do you most identify with? The child Larry in Philadelphia, the college Larry? We all live different roles and see ourselves through those various roles, but yet for many, we still see ourselves very much as who we are.
L: The most important Larry for me is the father and grandfather. I’m divorced and my kids are all grown up, but I stay in contact with them and let them know I’m near to support what they’re doing. That’s the important stuff. My oldest daughter has three kids. She lives down in San Diego. I try to interact with them as much as possible.
To me, it’s about the relationships that you have with people. It’s about family. It’s about friends. Other things come and go. What’s really important is the relationships you have with people, how people feel about you and how you interact with them.
J: And good health! I know everyone you talk with probably brings up Paul Allen just because of his stature, but speaking of health, here’s where that focus on friends, family and health becomes relevant. I imagine though, is it tough on someone like Paul to feel torn when everybody’s counting on you, yet to endure such a physical and mental struggle?
L: Paul is definitely a strong, strong individual. He’s been through this kind of fight before and I have no doubt that he’ll get through it again. Just what he’s done for this community has been amazing. People don’t realize that Paul has put tons and tons of money into keeping this team here. If it wasn’t for his willingness to spend his own money, there wouldn’t be a Trail Blazer team in Portland right now. Just look up the road to Seattle. They no longer have a basketball team because the city, the people didn’t want to build them a new arena. Paul spent his own money to build the arena here. He’s the best owner in professional sports. He’s been great for Portland and we’re lucky to have an NBA owner like Paul.
J: What’s something that surprised you about Paul when you first met him?
L: He loves the sport of basketball. Not only loves it, but is attuned to statistics and players. He’s a student of the game with a deep understanding of it. The other thing is his love of music. Paul loves music. He plays pretty well. I saw his band play one time and I was impressed.
J: Sports were important to you growing up, especially boxing. What was it like to be a kid and looking at a true superstar athlete like Mohammad Ali?
L: Mohammad Ali is truly one of my heroes. Not just for who he was as an athlete, but as an individual. When I see a person willing to put everything on the line for what they believe in, that’s somebody to respect and look up to, whether you agree with their beliefs or not. I met him a few times. In Phoenix last year, we had the opportunity for the entire team to meet Mohammad Ali.
J: Is he responsive?
L: He is. His mind is still there and he understands. It’s just that his body isn’t able to respond as much. I’ve known Mohammad and his wife, Lonnie, for a while and from what I understand, he has good and bad days. Some days he’s more responsive than others. It was great for our team and coaching staff to to meet him.
J: There was nobody like Mohammed Ali in that time.
L: You’re exactly right.
J: From what I’ve heard, his persona was very “out there” and forceful, but Ali had a lot of pride and confidence, self-love and dignity that were very infectious.
L: No question. He was a great boxer, but also was, and is, an individual who is willing to stand up and put everything on the line for what he believes is right. That’s impressive.
J: How can we fire up people to do more of that? Is it possible outside of sports and in the community to build passion and inspiration?
L: Some people, like Mohammad Ali, Nelson Mandela, are born with this “something” that makes them special people. But there are things we can do to try to get people to realize that we can all help folks in our community. The Trail Blazers organization is involved in helping improve the community that we exist in. We try to get people to participate so they can see their help does make a difference.
J: Sometimes it doesn’t matter – time or money – whatever your resource is, whatever your individual asset is, is something to give to somebody else. Portland is a unique community. People love to be engaged and to give back.
L: I agree with that. People in Portland are just nice. I have family who comes here to visit from other places. They always comment on how nice people are. People care about each other. You don’t find that in a lot of other cities.
J: What’s going to bring it to the next level? I know that there’s talk of the Rose Quarter development project. It seems to be one of the most dividing issues that have come up in a long time. There are strong opinions about what Portland should be, what it is and what it’s going to become.
L: Our vision for this area is to create something that becomes a centerpiece of what Portland is and represents. We don’t want to bring something here that is counter to what Portland is about. Given my history with Nike, with Jantzen, I feel like I know a little bit about marketing. One of the things that I and our partners understand is if you’re going to put something, or bring something, here that doesn’t connect or resonate with the consumers and the city, then you’re wasting time and money.
We’re doing all the research. This is being driven by us – people who live here in the city and understand the city – so we won’t bring anything here that doesn’t fit with what Portland is. I hope people understand that. Our goal is to create something that can become a centerpiece for the city, that people can point to, be proud of and say, “This represents Portland.” That’s what we’re focused on.
I had some people say, “People have been trying to create something for years.” And yeah, we can sit back and say, “You know what? People have tried to do this, so there’s no need to try to do anything.” But look forward to 20 years from now; we’ll have exactly what we have here, which is the Rose Garden and probably the Memorial Coliseum will still be standing at that point. But why not try to do something that’s going to improve what we have here, make it better and add to what the city has to offer, not only to the people who live here, but for visitors?
J: What would that look like? What would represent Portland?
L: It would be sustainable in nature. Not just what we would build, but the operating principles would have sustainability at the core of what it is. It would represent things that are Portland: Microbreweries, restaurants that represent the city of Portland, retail and entrepreneurs that are a part of the scene. It has to represent this city or it won’t be successful. It has to be what people here connect with or it won’t be successful. So to bring anything here that doesn’t do that… We’re lost before we even begin.
J: Paul Allen and others who may be associated with big undertaking such as this are sometimes seen as outsiders, even though they provide so much in the community.
L: I agree, but the reality is that this [development project] is something that’s being driven by us. This is something that’s being driven by the leadership here and so, like I said, we understand Portland. We understand what makes something work in Portland. We’re the ones who are driving and leading this. We’ll have partners who are not from here, but they’re looking to us.
The partners we’re looking at understand that they’re not going to bring something here that doesn’t work. They’re not going to put their money into something that is not going to work. They’re looking to us and listening to us to say, “OK, how should we do this? What’s going to work here? What are people here going to respond to?” They want it to be successful.
We’ve made it clear to them that they can’t come in and put something here that’s cookie-cutter. We can say, “OK, there’s too much to figure out, we don’t want to do this” and then end up with the same thing that we’ve got here now. But why not try to put something here that’s going to be a benefit to the city, be a benefit to the people who live here and provide something that can be a showcase for the city?
J: We know from past history that Portland isn’t a city to rest on its laurels and wait for things to happen. Aren’t we viewed as being proactive, making decisions, being innovative? When it comes to planning, urban growth, sustainability, we’re looked upon as leaders.
L: I think it’s part of my, and our, responsibility to communicate to people what our intentions are, so they do understand that this is not some big company’s coming in from outside and putting something here that doesn’t work in the city of Portland. We’re smart enough to understand that. So again, we’re not going to put anything here that’s doesn’t resonate with the city of Portland. It would be a waste of time and money on everybody’s part to do that because it wouldn’t succeed.
J: What’s something in your life personally, outside of business, that really feels like an example of goodness or something that fills your heart?
L: Whenever I think about something like that I always go back to my children. That’s what’s most important to me. They are what I feel the best about in terms of my life and what I’ve accomplished. Just seeing all of my kids doing well is the most heart-warming thing. People can have the best intentions. They can provide everything they possibly can for their children and yet it doesn’t always work out. Kids can get caught up in things. For me, to see all of my kids doing well and on the right track and living decent, good lives, that’s the thing that really warms my heart.
