Brandon Miller has agreed to a five-year, $209 million contract extension with the Charlotte Hornets, a major financial commitment to the 23-year-old forward as he enters his fourth NBA season. The deal, confirmed by The Associated Press, rewards the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 draft after a career year in which he averaged 20.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game despite dealing with a shoulder injury.
The extension signals that Charlotte views Miller as the centerpiece of its roster. The Hornets traded LaMelo Ball to the Minnesota Timberwolves earlier this year, clearing the way for Miller to take on a larger role during the 2026-27 campaign. Across his first three seasons, Miller has averaged 19 points and 4.6 rebounds per game, numbers that made him one of the league's more promising young scorers.
Miller's path to this payday has been anything but straightforward. During his lone season at Alabama in 2022-23, his draft stock was briefly in limbo after he was linked to a fatal shooting near the Strip in Tuscaloosa in January 2023. Miller transported a firearm to former teammate Darius Miles, the legal owner of the gun, who then gave it to Michael Lynn Davis. Davis was found guilty of shooting and killing 23-year-old Jamea Harris.
Miller was never accused of wrongdoing and was not charged with a crime. Prosecutors presented text messages showing Miles had asked Miller to bring the gun to the scene. Miller testified in the capital murder trial last year that he brought the weapon in his Dodge Charger but said Miles did not tell him why he needed it, that he was going to give it to Davis, or that a shooting would occur. Miller also testified that two bullets struck his windshield when gunfire broke out shortly afterward, and that he was nearly hit.
He received no special promises or rewards in exchange for cooperating, and he was one of four former Alabama players on the pretrial potential witness list in the case. Davis was someone Miller had known since joining the Crimson Tide program, having been introduced to him through Miles, and Davis had spent time around the team, including in the locker room.
The controversy followed Miller into his college season, with opposing fans directing «lock him up» chants at him during a game at South Carolina. Miller responded with 41 points and the game-winning shot in overtime. «We hear the chants,» Miller said at the time. «I feel like we really just lean on each other to go to places like that and pull out tough wins.»
With Miller cleared of any wrongdoing, his draft stock remained on a top-three trajectory. The San Antonio Spurs selected Victor Wembanyama first overall in 2023, and Charlotte took Miller second, betting that his college scoring prowess would translate to the professional level. That bet has paid off, and the new extension gives Miller the kind of financial security that follows a successful rise through the league.