Professional Basketball Team Owner. He was a car sales mogul and entrepreneur who used his fortune to buy the NBA Utah Jazz basketball team when they were just a small market franchise and turned them into one of the most stable teams in the entire NBA. Miller started out in business with an auto parts shop and from there his keen business sense lead him to become one of Utah's most recognized and influential persons. He bought 50% of the Jazz franchise in 1985 when it looked like the team would relocate to Miami. One year later he bought the other 50%. Miller was an avid sports lover and accomplished athlete. He was a Hall of Fame softball pitcher and added a Triple-A baseball club to his sports empire. His first love was always cars and he owned over 20 classic sports cars. In 2005 Miller gave himself a multimillion dollar present when he built Miller Motorsports Park about 30 miles west of Salt Lake City. He wanted a venue to bring top-class auto racing to Utah, and give himself a place to tinker with cars at will. In later years his health began to fail him and he had a near fatal heart attack in June of 2008 and then was hospitalized for 2 months because of complications from diabetes. Confined to a wheelchair, his health problems continued and in January of 2009 both of his legs were amputated just below the knees. He died at home from the effects of type 2 diabetes and calciphylaxis.
Professional Basketball Team Owner. He was a car sales mogul and entrepreneur who used his fortune to buy the NBA Utah Jazz basketball team when they were just a small market franchise and turned them into one of the most stable teams in the entire NBA. Miller started out in business with an auto parts shop and from there his keen business sense lead him to become one of Utah's most recognized and influential persons. He bought 50% of the Jazz franchise in 1985 when it looked like the team would relocate to Miami. One year later he bought the other 50%. Miller was an avid sports lover and accomplished athlete. He was a Hall of Fame softball pitcher and added a Triple-A baseball club to his sports empire. His first love was always cars and he owned over 20 classic sports cars. In 2005 Miller gave himself a multimillion dollar present when he built Miller Motorsports Park about 30 miles west of Salt Lake City. He wanted a venue to bring top-class auto racing to Utah, and give himself a place to tinker with cars at will. In later years his health began to fail him and he had a near fatal heart attack in June of 2008 and then was hospitalized for 2 months because of complications from diabetes. Confined to a wheelchair, his health problems continued and in January of 2009 both of his legs were amputated just below the knees. He died at home from the effects of type 2 diabetes and calciphylaxis.
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