"He would just love to stick the dagger in" - Reggie Miller named the player who had the killer instinct like him

Hall of Famer Reggie Miller solidified himself as one of the greatest scorers in NBA history during his time with the Indiana Pacers.

The current NBA analyst believes that wouldn’t have been possible without his killer instinct, which he felt he developed after facing Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics in 1991. Despite losing that series in five-games, Miller felt the Pacers needed it for motivation in order to be competitive for years, which was exactly what happened.

When asked who resembled his mentality the most amongst the superstars after him, Reggie immediately pointed to Kobe Bryant. He faced young Kobe during the 2000 Finals and years later it was evident they shared the same mindset.

“I think Kobe can go into anyone’s backyard and he would just love to stick the dagger in,” Miller once said via SLAM.

It takes one to know one

When Miller mentioned going into anyone’s backyard and sticking the dagger in, that was something he did in 1995 against the New York Knicks, who the Pacers beat in the Eastern Conference semifinals in seven games.

This was the time the Miller was at his peak and the moment that turned the Pacers’ fate around. It was also the series that escalated the animosity between the two teams with Reggie being the main villan in the eyes of the Knicks fans.

That rivalry was born out of competitive spirit and hatred for one another, which Miller said only happens between two competitors with the same mentality. Years later, little did Miller expect to have the same kind of feud with Bryant himself.

“I like having fights with guys that are similar to me,” Miller said when he spoke about his feud with Bryant. “That’s why I probably got into it so many times with Jordan and with Kobe. I look at them and see me in a mirror.”

The feud between Miller and Bryant took place in 2002, when the Lakers hosted the Pacers at home. It was all because the former felt that the Black Mamba broke an unspoken rule, which was to attempt a shot despite having the lead during the dying seconds of the game.

That moment then led to an exchange of words at the end of the game, which then escalated to an altercation between both superstars. Years later, Miller admitted it was simply a fight between two competitive alpha males who let their killer instinct get in the way.

Miller knew earlier than most

The short-lived feud between Reggie and Kobe happened and for the former Pacers star to say that he only got into it with competitors who had the same mentality as him that early in Kobe’s career shows that Reggie knew Kobe had the killer instinct before the consensus did. At that time, Kobe was already a two-time champion, an All-Star, but was not considered an all-time great player just yet, or someone who could be the best player on a championship team.

That says a lot about the respect the Lakers legend had already earned from the superstars that came before him as early as the age of 23. The world caught up years later when the Mamba Mentality was born and Kobe led the Lakers to two more titles as the best player on the team in 2009 and 2010.

But before everyone else, Miller knew what kind of killer Bryant was about to become.

This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 2, 2025, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

“He would just love to stick the dagger in” – Reggie Miller named the player who had the killer instinct like him

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