Darius Miles (Born October 9, 1981 in Belleville, Illinois) is an American basketball player for the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers.
Somewhat of an enigma of a player, Miles is an amazing athlete who can execute spectacular dunks but seems incapable of making a mundane jump shot or free throw. Likewise, his extremely long arms and quickness are traits of a lockdown defender, but he is not one. Miles is thought of by many as a prime example of the typical raw young player in today's NBA, possessing amazing natural gifts but not well-schooled in fundamental basketball skills. He is also considered partially responsible for the flood of high school players entering the NBA. Before Miles, all players who attempted to make the jump from high school to the professional ranks had all been players who were considered remarkable talents, such as Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, and Tracy McGrady. Miles, however, was not considered a transcendent talent even in high school yet was able to successfully turn pro anyway, thus paving the way for other questionable preps-to-pros jumps by unknown players such as Kwame Brown, DeSagana Diop, Amare Stoudemire, and Ndudi Ebi, none of whom had garnered much national attention before they entered the draft.
Miles attended East St. Louis high school, and after failing to receive a qualifying SAT score to attend St. John's University, entered the 2000 NBA Draft and was selected by the Los Angeles Clippers as the 3rd overall pick, making him the highest-drafted high school player ever at that time. For the next two NBA seasons, Miles, a 6-9, 210 pound small forward, formed, along with Lamar Odom, Quentin Richardson, and Elton Brand, the core of a young Clippers team that became popular among young basketball fans for their exciting, high-flying style of play, despite only registering 31-51 and 39-43 records in those two seasons.
Prior to the 2002-03 season, he was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers for point guard Andre Miller. Expectations were high for Miles this season, the year he was supposed to be blossom into a superstar. However, the season was an utter failure, as the team won only 17 games and Miles seemed completely incapable of handling a leading role on an NBA team. However, there was a bright side to this dismal season, as the Cavaliers, with the worst record in the league, won the NBA lottery and were able to select high school phenom LeBron James with the first pick in the 2003 NBA Draft. The Cavs improved as a team the next year, led by the amazing talents of James, but Miles failed to improve and soon found himself on the bench.
Midway through the 2003-04 season, Miles was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers for Jeff McInnis and Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje, two marginal players, and soon was a fixture in the Blazers' starting lineup. He vastly improved his game, especially his shot, and helped the Blazers make a late run at a playoff berth, though they ultimately fell short. He is currently a restricted free agent, his rookie contract having expired following the season.
In 4 NBA seasons, Miles has played in 309 games, starting 145 contests and averaging 9.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.2 blocked shots per game.
Miles had a role in the 2003 movie The Perfect Score, which starred Scarlett Johansson.