SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Moeller High School graduate Miles McBride is an NBA champion with the New York Knicks.
The Knicks defeated the host San Antonio Spurs 94-90 Saturday night in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
The Knicks earned the franchise’s first NBA title since 1973 when former Middletown High School star Jerry Lucas was in his penultimate NBA season of his Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame career. McBride is the first former Moeller basketball player to win an NBA title as a player.
McBride, a 2019 Moeller graduate, is also reportedly the third former West Virginia University player to win an NBA title, joining the late Jerry West (Lakers, 1972) and the late Jerome Anderson (Celtics, 1976), according to Sports Illustrated.
McBride, who completed his fifth season with the Knicks, had a memorable journey to the NBA Finals.
McBride, who helped Moeller to back-to-back Division I state titles in 2018 and 2019, helped the Knicks reach the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999.
Through it all, McBride always remembered Moeller. It's a place he returns to in the summer months after the season.
“You know the great thing is I know that sometime this summer when he comes home, he’ll be right in this gym wanting to work out and wanting to talk to the kids,” Moeller basketball coach Carl Kremer told WCPO 9 Sports before the NBA Finals.
McBride told WCPO 9 Sports earlier this postseason he is grateful for all of the support from Greater Cincinnati.
More than stats and awards, Miles, nicknamed “Deuce,” created a legacy of leadership and character at Moeller.
“From the time he walked in, he was different,” Kremer said before the NBA Finals. “That he somehow transcended normalcy. He just carried himself in a way that you knew he was special.”
He had a 58-1 record as Moeller’s starting point guard during his high school career. He was also a star quarterback on the Moeller football team during his high school career.
McBride is the son of Walt and Kim McBride of Cincinnati. Kim is a former Ohio State University tennis player. Walt is a former Xavier University basketball player who played professionally in Europe. He is also a former Cincinnati area high school basketball head coach.
Miles McBride joins an elite list of Greater Cincinnati natives who’ve won an NBA championship. That includes Dave Cowens (Newport Catholic now Newport Central Catholic), Derrek Dickey (Purcell Marian), Tom Thacker (Covington Grant) and Lucas (Middletown).
