- Stranger Things Season 5 references the Pacers’ 1987 pick, Reggie Miller, in Episode 7.
- The scene is set on Nov. 6, 1987 — the date of Miller’s NBA debut where he scored 10 points.
- Characters debate whether Indiana hero Steve Alford should have been drafted instead.
- Miller went on to a Hall of Fame career; Alford had a shorter NBA stay and later became a college coach.
Why Hawkins was talking about Reggie Miller
Netflix’s Stranger Things Season 5, set in 1987, dropped a small but accurate sports detail into its Indiana backdrop: the debate over the Pacers drafting Reggie Miller instead of hometown star Steve Alford. The show’s seventh episode places that debate on Nov. 6, 1987 — the very night Miller made his NBA debut.
The on-screen exchange
In Episode 7 two soldiers argue the pick. One asks, “You’re telling me Alford wouldn’t have doubled that score?” The other replies, “Four-of-6 from the field! Reggie’s gonna be something special. You mark my words.” That dialogue mirrors real Hoosier conversations at the time, when local loyalties to Steve Alford — an Indiana native and 1987 NCAA champion with Indiana University — ran high.
Embedded social post
See the scene and fan reaction on X: https://x.com/iPacersblog/status/2004768677896618010
The real game behind the reference
The episode’s statistics line up with history. On Nov. 6, 1987, Reggie Miller — the Pacers’ 11th overall pick out of UCLA — scored 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting in 26 minutes off the bench during a 108-95 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. He also recorded one rebound, two assists and three steals.
Steve Alford, the Indiana native who had starred under coach Bob Knight and led the Hoosiers to the 1987 NCAA title, made his pro debut the same night for the Dallas Mavericks. Alford’s line was six points and five assists.
How their careers unfolded
As the Stranger Things exchange foreshadows, it was Miller who became a long-term Pacers icon. Reggie Miller spent 18 seasons in Indiana, retired with 25,279 points, and held the NBA record for made three-pointers at the time of his retirement. He earned five All-Star selections, three All-NBA nods, a place on the NBA 75th Anniversary Team and eventual induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Miller helped lead the Pacers to six Eastern Conference Finals and a 2000 trip to the NBA Finals.
Alford’s NBA career was brief — about four seasons with averages around 4.4 points per game — after which he returned to college basketball as a coach. His coaching stops included Missouri State, Iowa, New Mexico and UCLA; he has been head coach at Nevada since 2019.
Why the nod matters
The reference works because it blends local Indiana sports history with character-driven dialogue, grounding Stranger Things’ alternate-1987 in real cultural touchstones. For Hoosier viewers and NBA fans alike, the brief exchange offers an authentic, rewarding detail: a snapshot of a moment when opinion was split about a draft choice that would become one of the NBA’s most recognizable clutch shooters.
Image Referance: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6926513/2025/12/29/reggie-miller-steve-alford-stranger-things-reference/