Former Portland Trail Blazers president and current Nike executive Larry Miller admitted to killing a teenager when he was in a gang more than 50 years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Miller, who is now 72 years old, revealed a long-kept secret in an exclusive interview with Sports Illustrated published on Wednesday. He said that the decision to come clean about his past was very difficult for him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201eBecause I've been running from this for years. I wanted to hide this and hoped that people wouldn't find out,\u201c he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Miller even kept this secret from his powerful friends, such as Michael Jordan and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. He said that he wanted to reveal this to the public ahead of the release of his new book, \u201eRise: My Secret Journey from the Bottom of the Bordrum Streets,\u201c which is scheduled for next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking to Sports Illustrated, Miller said that he grew up in a stable family, but that things went wrong when he turned 13 and joined the Cedar Avenue gang in West Philadelphia. He said he was a hardened gang member by the time he was 16.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Nike boss said that on September 30, 1965, he killed 18-year-old Edward White. The killing was retaliatory, after Miller's gang friend was killed by a rival gang.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, Miller admitted that he is not sure whether White is connected to any gang.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Miller said he shot the first person he ran into.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201eWe were all drunk, I was in a state of euphoria, and once I realized what I had done, I couldn't believe it. It took years for me to understand what I actually did,\u201c said the head of Nike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Miller was in and out of prison until he was 30 years old, but he continued his education behind bars and earned a degree from Temple University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Miller almost got a job at a prestigious accounting firm called Arthur Andersen, but the offer was revoked when his criminal past was discovered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He swore to keep that secret to himself in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201eI never want to talk about this again,\u201c he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Miller became Vice President of Nike in 1997, President of the Jordan brand in 1999, and President of the Portland Trail Blazers in 2006.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Nike chief said that he was very nervous about this discovery, but that Jordan and Silver were very supportive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201eI finally feel free and comfortable in my own skin,\u201c said Larry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n