Duet To You: Why Darius Miles and Quentin Richardson were beyond their years

Image via Clipnation.com. Darius Miles (left) and Quentin Richardson show off their iconic “knucklehead” pose for a photo shoot in the early 2000’s.

In the early 2000’s, a pair of braggadocious teenagers made their entrance into the National Basketball Association and influenced an entire generation of players after them. In between the likes of Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett making the jump in the late 1990’s, but before LeBron James in 2003, Illinois natives Darius Miles and Quentin Richardson helped bring the Los Angeles Clippers to the edge of national prominence. While “D-Miles” and “Q-Rich” only played two seasons together, their influence extended beyond to a whole generation of players. The “Youngest Guns” as they were known, were a staple of Jordan Brand and entertained fans of all ages with their high-flying style of play. 

Entering the league out of DePaul in Chicago, Richardson played both shooting guard and small forward for the Clippers and was one of the leaders of the team. Richardson, along with fellow young players Miles, Corey Maggette, Keyon Dooling, Lamar Odom and Elton Brand helped the team improve to 39 wins in their final year together in 2002. On the precipice of the playoffs, the team ultimately folded, but still found a way to leave a mark on the league with the team’s collective fashion style and athletic play. Richardson spent four seasons with the LA Clippers (2000-04), averaging: 12.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 1.5 APG. and had a 13-year career in the league with six teams. While he never found a championship, he is still involved today both in the broadcast booth as a member of the Orlando Magic broadcast team and was the former director of player development for the Detroit Pistons. 

Image via Slam.com:

The cover of Slam Magazine 57 featured (from left to right) center/forward Elton Brand, forward Lamar Odom and forward Darius Miles. The trio were a strong nucleus of players that achieved numerous accolades through their careers, but did not achieve their potential together. 

Miles on the other hand played above the rim with his thunderous dunks and was one of the athletic backbones for Los Angeles. Selected with the third overall pick of the 2000 draft, the native of Belleville, Ill. had a prototypical build for the NBA that mirrored Kevin Garnett’s frame. During his time with the Clippers, Miles was named to the NBA All-Rookie team in 2001, but sadly his tenure with the team ended after the 2002 season when he was traded to Cleveland. Miles would go on to have some success with the Portland Trailblazers, but also ran into controversy when he butted heads with head coach Maurice Cheeks. His career ended with totals of 10.1 PPG and 4.9 RPG, but his athletic style is still the blueprint admired by many coaches to this day. 

While their time together ended prematurely, many players and coaches think fondly of the original young guns in L.A. Now Miles and Richardson host a podcast together sponsored by the Players’ Tribune called “Knuckleheads with Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles” where they interview a wide variety of stars both old and new. Everyone from Shaquille O’Neal and the late Kobe Bryant to Jimmy Butler and Damian Lillard have appeared on the show to share their war stories from the league and reflect on their times in the NBA. The duo was also famous for being the poster boys for the Air Jordan XVII that came out during their first initial years in the NBA. They also starred in the 2002 film Van Wilder, which was a staple of the early 2000’s comedy scene. 

In the pantheon of iconic NBA stars of the 2000’s, Richardson and Miles might not make the top 10 or probably the top 25, but their swagger and style were a focal point of their era. In a time period dominated by baggy clothes, big chains and even bigger personalities, two men not even above the legal drinking limit helped give Clippers fans something to be proud of, which was not something common for the franchise back then. Indeed, having such a presence both on and off the court, solidified their reputations as tastemakers. So if you are reading this right now, go out and pick your best throwback jersey to wear for this weekend and queue up Nelly’s “Air Force Ones” to max volume.