USA Basketball male Athlete of the year is....

[mav_love]

...Reggie Miller? as under-rated and unappreciated as ever, Michael Finley will have to wait his turn.

AP report



COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Lisa Leslie and Reggie Miller were selected Monday as the USA Basketball Female and Male Athletes of the Year, respectively.

Leslie, of the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks, earned USA Basketball's highest honor for the third time in her career after leading the United States to the World Championship gold medal. She also won the honor in 1993 and 1998.

Miller, of the Indiana Pacers, earned the award for his veteran leadership on and off the court at the 2002 FIBA World Championship for Men. He is a first-time honoree.

"The USA Basketball executive committee could not have selected two more deserving athletes for this award,'' executive director Jim Tooley said. "Lisa's performance in the World Championship was tremendous as she was named the tournament MVP.

"While Reggie was injured during the World Championship, his leadership and sportsmanship were invaluable during a very difficult time for the team and organization.''

[Variant]

I'd vote for Reggie too. He was all class after the losses.