Last Updated on August 7, 2026 by Mat Diekhake

Long before positionless basketball became fashionable, Jim McMillian gave NBA teams a dependable American forward who could stretch defenses with his perimeter touch, attack mismatches in the post, and keep the offense moving without dominating the ball. He read the game with patience, slipping into open areas, making the extra pass when help arrived, and quietly punishing defenders who lost track of him away from the action.

Here is the information about Jim McMillian:

Player Profile

  • Full Name: James M. McMillian
  • Nationality: American
  • Age: Deceased (born March 11, 1948 – died May 16, 2016, aged 68)
  • Hometown: Raeford, North Carolina
  • Height: 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m)
  • Weight: 215 lbs (98 kg)
  • Wingspan: 6 feet 6 inches
  • Shoe Size: Size 14 (US)
  • Number: Wore #5 and #11 during his career
  • Position: Small Forward
  • High School: Jefferson High School, Rochester, New York
  • College: Columbia University
  • NBA Draft: 1970, 1st Round, 13th pick overall by the Los Angeles Lakers
  • Teams Played For: Los Angeles Lakers, Buffalo Braves, New York Knicks, Portland Trail Blazers
  • Championship Rings: 1 (1972 with the Los Angeles Lakers)
  • Kids: Yes, but details are not widely publicized
  • Siblings: Not publicly documented

Player Archetype / Play Style

Jim McMillian’s player archetype was that of a scoring wing, a smooth forward who could rebound, run the floor, and give an offense dependable perimeter and midrange production without needing to dominate the ball. At 6-foot-5, he had solid size and length for a wing of his era, and that frame helped him operate as both a scorer and a useful defensive presence at forward. Defensively, McMillian fit best as a sturdy team defender who could hold his ground on the wing rather than a pure shutdown specialist, while offensively he brought value as a secondary scorer, transition finisher, and reliable half-court option with a polished jump shot. His overall play style was efficient, composed, and team-oriented, blending scoring touch with rebounding, smart movement, and the kind of adaptable wing play that made him a key part of high-level college and NBA teams. (Basketball Reference)

Scouting Report

Jim McMillian had a calmness to his game that could fool people into thinking he wasn’t being aggressive, but he constantly put defenders in uncomfortable decisions. He was at his best operating from the wing, where he could catch on the move, take one or two long strides into the lane or rise immediately into a smooth jumper if his defender gave him daylight. What stands out is how little wasted movement there was. He didn’t dance with the ball. He attacked gaps as they appeared, used his size to shoot over smaller defenders and understood when to seal deep in transition before the defence had matched up. Off the ball, he was an intelligent cutter who recognised when a teammate had drawn two defenders, sliding behind ball-watchers for easy finishes rather than waiting beyond the arc for the play to come back to him. Defensively, McMillian relied more on positioning than gambling. He stayed connected through off-ball actions, contested with length and made life difficult for wings trying to score over the top, although quicker guards could occasionally force him into recovery situations where his foot speed became a factor. The trade-off was that he wasn’t a player who consistently created offence from nothing. If the possession bogged down and required repeated changes of direction against a set defender, his effectiveness dipped compared to situations where he could attack a defence that was already rotating. To me, that’s why he fit so naturally alongside creative guards and passing bigs. Give him movement, early offence or secondary pick-and-roll actions that shifted the defence half a step, and he punished mistakes with efficient scoring rather than forcing difficult attempts. His game brought together elements of Jamaal Wilkes’ fluid off-ball scoring and Cedric Ceballos’ instinct for finding space around the basket, though McMillian played with a little more structure and less improvisation than either. He wasn’t trying to dominate possessions. He simply had an excellent feel for where the next scoring opportunity was going to appear, and more often than not, he arrived there before the defender did.

Fun Facts

  • He was part of the Los Angeles Lakers team that went on a 33-game win streak and won the 1972 NBA Championship.

Sources:

Basketball-Reference — Jim McMillian Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status and more
AP News — Jim McMillian, forward on ’72 Lakers title team, dead at 68
Columbia Lions — SCHEDULE/RESULTS