Friday, December 29, 2023 was a special night in Phoenix for Bradley Beal Elite.
Not only did Bradley Beal make his return from an ankle injury, but he did it against a team in the Charlotte Hornets that has a pair of rookie BBE alums: Brandon Miller and Nick Smith Jr. Brad memorably helped coach the BBE 17U team when Miller and Smith were on board, and both young players — first round picks in the 2023 NBA draft — have said they consider Brad a mentor.
The moment and chance to play against each other was special for all three men.
Playing against their former coach?@ashahahmadi tells us about @brandmillerr & @lif3nick facing off tonight against Bradley Beal after growing up playing on his AAU team. pic.twitter.com/MvjwG0MTUd
— Bally Sports: Hornets (@HornetsOnBally) December 30, 2023
A full circle moment 🥹 @brandmillerr caught up with his former AAU coach, @RealDealBeal23! pic.twitter.com/EIsz6hdeol
— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) December 31, 2023
Brad and the Suns picked up the win, but Brandon had an outstanding game, scoring 20 points, including six threes. Nick came off the bench for Charlotte to score 10 points on 4-of-7.
