Bahamian professional basketball player Franco Miller Jr. is set to make his National Basketball Association (NBA) G League debut with the Santa Cruz Warriors, an affiliate of the Golden State Warriors, next week Friday.
Miller was drafted by the Santa Cruz Warriors with the 27th pick of the second round, and 58th overall, last Saturday during the NBA G League Draft, which took place virtually.
The G League opportunity has placed the Bahamian guard in a good position to be called up to the association, and it’s an opportunity he feels good about.
“It feels good,” he said. “It is definitely a blessing seeing all your hard work pay off and seeing yourself accomplish something that you have been wanting to accomplish for a long time. I was just super excited for the opportunity to be able to continue to play basketball.”
Miller joins the Santa Cruz’s roster with a wealth of basketball knowledge acquired at the collegiate, national, and professional levels.
His most recent success came while playing for the senior men’s national basketball team at the 2025 FIBA (International Basketball Federation) AmeriCup Tournament in Managua, Nicaragua, in August.
He was a top performer for Team Bahamas, leading both his team and the tournament in scoring with 22.7 points per game while shooting a crisp 44.8 percent from the field and 34.4 percent from three-point range.
The 26-year-old’s most memorable game of the tournament came against the United States of America’s (USA) national basketball team in their first game.
Miller knocked down a clutch three-pointer to force overtime in The Bahamas’ 105-93 loss to the USA.
Despite the tough loss, Miller Jr. tallied 29 points, five rebounds, and six assists to go along with six made three-pointers.
In the following matchup against Brazil, he posted a team-high 19 points, dished out five assists, and collected two rebounds in 31 minutes of action.
Prior to that, the flashy guard made his professional debut in Spain with the Fibwi Palma basketball team.
His overseas rookie campaign ended with the team earning promotion from Segunda FEB to Primera FEB, the second-tier professional basketball league in Spain.
The guard averaged 10.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 31 games played with the team. He admitted that competing in different environments has undoubtedly prepared him for his upcoming G League tenure.
“The experience that you gain from being in so many different places and experiencing so many different situations… I think that is probably the most important thing that helped me the most,” he said.
The Santa Cruz Warriors put together a strong showing during the 2024-25 NBA G League season. The team finished with a 20-14 win/loss record, placing fourth in the Western Conference of the league.
Their season ended with a quarterfinals loss to the Valley Suns, an affiliate of the Phoenix Suns, during the postseason.
Miller said he wants to do whatever it takes to help his new team continue to win.
“... just do whatever this team needs in terms of winning and doing the things that are required to win,” he said. “I feel like winning is the most important thing, and personally, just bringing what I bring to the game whether that’s defense, offense or passing… just being a helpful piece out there.”
The Santa Cruz Warriors will open their season against the Rip City Remix, an affiliate of the Portland Trail Blazers, on Friday, November 7, at the Kaiser Permanente Arena in Santa Cruz, California.