Basketball legend, former Congressman and Rhodes Scholar, Tom McMillen (University, 1974)

Multi-talented alumnus Tom McMillen describes his extraordinary life as a professional basketball player, scholar, politician and businessman. At 6’ 11’’ and from a sporty family, the American was always destined for basketball, and he played at the highest levels, including in the controversial final between the US and USSR at the Olympic Games in 1972. A Rhodes scholarship to read Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) at University College in Oxford followed, and he juggled his studies simultaneously with a professional basketball career. After 11 years playing in the NBA, McMillen embarked on his political career, serving three consecutive terms as a Democratic Congressman for Maryland. In this interview, McMillen also reflects upon his ‘multiple career disorder’, discusses US politics, and predicts victory for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential race for the White House. The interview was recorded at the Alumni Weekend in North America in Washington DC in April 2016.