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Did you know that 8.4 million children are without a biological, step or adoptive father at home?

Are you aware that 85 percent of children who exhibit behavior disorders are from fatherless homes?

Studies have shown that fatherless boys are more likely to live in poverty; more likely to join gangs; and suffer with a higher rate of depression and suicide.

As a young child growing up in a home without a father, Nate McMillan was once part of those statistics. He could have very easily fell into the trappings of like without having a father to show him the way, to teach him life skills and how to be a man.

Fortunately for Nate, his older brother Randy filled that void. He followed in Randy’s footsteps and became a pretty decent athlete, excelling in baseball, football, and basketball.

Nate pushed himself to improve his skills, especially in basketball where, as a young teenager, he got up early every morning and spent hours on the court perfecting his game. He became a standout student-athlete at Enloe High School in Raleigh, attracting the attention of numerous college coaches. One was Bob Burke, who was in the process of building a nationally recognized basketball program at what was then Chowan College in Murfreesboro.

Apparently, Nate liked what he saw at Chowan, a program on the rise. He helped the then Braves reach the pinnacle of Junior College basketball, gaining a berth in the Final Four of the 1984 NJCAA Finals held in Hutchinson, Kansas. That team finished with 30 wins, the best-ever in the history of Chowan men’s basketball.

“There are a lot of great memories for me here on this campus. It was here that I met my wife, who worked in the basketball office. It was here that I developed such a strong bond with my coach, Bob Burke, and with my teammates,” McMillan said in an interview with this newspaper in February of 2016 when he returned to Murfreesboro to attend a ceremony where his Chowan basketball jersey (#23) was retired.

His enormous talent landed Nate a scholarship at NC State University where played for another legendary coach – Jim Valvano.

During the 1984-85 regular season, McMillan lead NC State to a first-place tie in the Atlantic Coast Conference, and to the Elite Eight in both the 1985 and 1986 NCAA Tournament.

Those efforts did not go unnoticed. In the 1986 NBA Draft, McMillan was the 30 pick overall, chosen by the Seattle SuperSonics. Known for his superb defense, McMillan helped the SuperSonics reach the NBA Finals in the 1995-96 season. He still shares the NBA rookie record with 25 assists in a single game.

Nate played for the SuperSonics for 12 years. After retiring in 1998, he stayed on with the team as an assistant coach and in 2000 he was asked to be the Sonics head coach. His coaching career spans over 23 years and includes stints with the SuperSonics (1998-2005), Portland Trail Blazers (2005-2012), the Indiana Pacers (2013-2020) and the Atlanta Hawks (2020-2023).

In 2006, McMillan served as an assistant coach to Mike Krzyzewski for the United States National Team. The US team won a bronze medal in the FIBA Basketball World Cup. He was also an assistant coach for the US Olympic Team, winning gold medals in Beijing in 2008 and in London in 2012.

A couple of years ago, the City of Raleigh recognized Nate’s achievements and his long-standing support of the community and officially named the gym at Lions Park Community Center, the “Nate McMillan Gymnasium”.

McMillan was back in Murfreesboro in September of 2021, part of a tribute to the now late Coach Bob Burke. There, McMillan spoke of this those in his life who “laid the most bricks” that served as his foundation.

“Coach Burke equipped me with the tools I needed, both mentally and physically,” McMillan said at that event. “He tattooed in my mind the importance of approach and preparation. He engrained the power of consistency. He entrenched the significance of hard work, not just on the hardwood, but with every breath you take. Discipline trumps all, and that message still rings in my ear today. He never stopped teaching and I never stopped learning.”

And today, in 2025, that message remains as strong as it was intended.

McMillan is a firm believer in strong families and giving back to the community though the Nate McMillan Foundation. His focus is to develop mentoring programs to address the issues surrounding fatherless kids.

Among its many programs, the Foundation hosts an annual summer camp that targets skill development and personal growth among boys and young men. The Foundation also hosts a Career Day so that young males can interact with professionals in an effort to gain insight into potential career paths.

Additionally, the Foundation has a protocol and etiquette program that encompasses the social skills, manners, and behavior that empowers young men to navigate life with confidence and respect for others.

There’s even a program that supports and encourages the mothers of boys and young men…women who champion and inspire their children.

From the first time I met Nate McMillan when he was a freshman at Chowan, I felt there was something special about him other than his basketball skills. He didn’t prove me wrong. I admire what he is doing today to help young men to choose life’s correct path.

If you want to learn more, email info@natemcmillanfoundation.org.

Cal Bryant is the Editor of Roanoke-Chowan Publications. Contact him at cal.bryant@r-cnews.com or 252-332-7207.