The chant of "Reg-gie! Reg-gie!" filled Conseco Fieldhouse one more time. The cheer rang out from the full house Thursday night as Reggie Miller, surrounded by his four siblings, pulled a rope that raised a No. 31 banner into the rafters as the Indiana Pacers retired his jersey number.

Former Indiana Pacers basketball player Reggie Miller reacts during his jersey retirement ceremony in Indianapolis, Thursday, March 30, 2006. Miller, who spent his entire career with the Pacers, later raised his jersey to the rafters. [AP]

The halftime ceremony started with video highlights of Miller's career, and the chant that was heard after many of his clutch long-range shots began even before he had a chance to speak.

"I never imagined that I would earn my way to anyone's rafters," he said.

Pacers CEO Donnie Walsh, who was greeted with boos when he drafted the skinny UCLA guard in 1987, credited Miller with leading the team to respectability after years as an NBA also-ran.

"You catapulted us into the elite of the NBA," Walsh told Miller during the ceremony. "You have been the heart and soul of this franchise for 18 years, and No. 31 deserves to go up with the best of the best."

Miller spent his entire career with the Pacers and credited Walsh, team president Larry Bird, team owners Melvin and Herbert Simon and the fans for making his stay special.

"It's been an unbelievable 18-year career here," he said before the game. "From Donnie to Larry to the Simon family, they have been tremendous, not only to myself, but to my family. I've been surrounded by a lot of love."

Miller, now a TNT basketball analyst, said he was honored to have his number sent to the rafters less than a year after his retirement.

"Those things usually take time, but the Pacers always do things first class," he said.

He was first Pacer from the team's NBA days to have his number retired, joining ABA stars Roger Brown, Mel Daniels and George McGinnis and former coach Bobby "Slick" Leonard as the only such honorees in franchise history.

Miller ended his career last season as the NBA's all-time leader in 3-point goals. He was a five-time All-Star, led the NBA in free throw percentage five times and is No. 12 on the league's career scoring list.

Matt Reiswerg, 25, wore a replica of Miller's white UCLA jersey to Thursday's game, attending with his father, Joe, a Pacers season-ticket holder since 1976. Matt Reiswerg tied Miller's career to fond childhood memories of watching games with his father and grandfather.

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