After playing against the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday, Charlotte Hornets rookie Brandon Miller walked off the court with the jersey of his favorite player.

Paul George signed the jersey, too, inking his autograph in the white one of the No. 13 on his black Los Angeles jersey. In the three, George wrote: “Bmill. Keep going, kid! Go dominate and be great. Love.”

“It’s a dream come true,” Miller said. “To have your favorite player’s jersey just hanging up in your house, I think that’s a great accomplishment. Really just being out here on the court with those type of guys – (Russell) Westbrook, (James) Harden, PG, Kawhi (Leonard) – I think that’s just a blessing.”

The Hornets played the Clippers on Dec. 26, but Miller missed that game with an injury, so Sunday was the former Alabama All-American’s first game against George. And the rookie got the full nine-time All-Star experience.

George scored 41 points to go with seven rebounds, four assists and one steal in Los Angeles’ 130-118 victory.

“That’s my guy — big bro,” Miller said. “I’m looking forward to working out with him this summer. I know he’s going to be a tough matchup every time we play each other and so always look for a show when he’s on the court. He’s a great shot-maker, but not just that. I preached the whole season that he takes pride on the defensive side, and I think that’s one of the things that stands out for him in his career, so I think that’s why my favorite player is Paul George.”

Miller had 22 points, six rebounds, four assists and one blocked shot against the Clippers at the Spectrum in Charlotte, North Carolina.

“When I stepped on the court, it was all basketball – just business,” Miller said. “Going into the game knowing it’s a tough matchup. But you know I was looking forward to this game, excited to play this game.”

The Sunday loss left Charlotte with an 18-56 record, and the Hornets lost again on Monday night, falling to the Boston Celtics 118-104. Miller had 19 points, five rebounds, two assists and one steal in that game.

Charlotte has seven games remaining in Miller’s rookie season, with its 2023-24 campaign set to end on April 14 against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

“These last seven are still meaningful,” Miller said. “I feel like everybody’s coming out here trying to get better for next season. We’re not playing for playoffs or anything. We’re just playing to make each other better, build stronger bonds.”

Miller joined the Hornets from Alabama as the second selection in the 2023 NBA Draft. In 68 games, Miller has averaged 17.0 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists.

Miller is the third Alabama alumnus to score more than 1,100 points as an NBA rookie, joining Collin Sexton and Latrell Sprewell. To overtake Sexton’s top mark of 1,371 points in the 2018-19 season, Miller would need to average 30.7 points per game for the remainder of the Hornets’ schedule.

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.