Master P Opens Up On His Complete Faith In Kelvin Sampson, His Pride In His Son Mercy Miller’s Growth at Houston and Being a Hoops Dad
A PaperCity Exclusive
BY Chris Baldwin // 01.24.25University of Houston true freshman guard Mercy Miller signs autographs for the fans. (Photo by F. Carter Smith)
Master P never wants to make a big deal of himself when he slips into a college basketball arena to watch his son Mercy Miller. He’s just a dad watching his boy hoop. Of course, when you’re a global music star/uber successful serial entrepreneur things are rarely really that simple. The selfie seekers stop him as he leaves the court and in the back hallway of the Fertitta Center, but the self-made tycoon whose real name is Percy Miller doesn’t seem to mind the attention from University of Houston fans.
After Houston’s 70-36 wipeout of Utah on Wednesday night at its on-campus arena, Master P seems to oblige everyone who approaches, often flashing a diamond-grill sparkling grin for the photos.
“You know what, it’s just all about supporting my son,” Master P tells PaperCity. “I just come to support him. I let him do what he’s got to do, get to where he’s got to get to. Just keep working. Just keep supporting him, knowing that God do what he do.
“It’s his journey.”
Master P does not want to be a stage parent or a showbiz parent. His son, just a true freshman, isn’t in Houston’s top eight rotation most games and this music master will tell you that’s OK. Master P believes in Kelvin Sampson and the topnotch UH assistants’ proven developmental program. He’s on board with Mercy Miller taking the steps, not skipping.
“All of it,” Master P says when I ask how much faith he has in UH basketball’s player development. “That’s why we came here. To let Coach Sampson do what he need to do. He’s going to develop him and do what he need to do.”

With starting guard Emanuel Sharp sitting out with a right foot injury (ligament strain) against Utah, Mercy Miller logs 18 minutes, hits seven of eight free throws, grabs three rebounds. He doesn’t shoot well from the field (0 for 5), but he does what Kelvin Sampson asks all his players to do. He makes the most of his minutes on the court.
“I tell these guys how many minutes you get is irrelevant to your attitude toward them,” Sampson says. “If you get two minutes, those are the most important two minutes in the history of the game to you. If you get eight minutes, by God I’m going to attack these eight minutes like I’m never ever going to play this game again. It’s the last eight minutes of my life.
“That’s what I mean when I talk to these kids about their attitude. There’s only two things you can control in this lifetime. And that’s your attitude and your effort.”
Mercy Miller’s shown flashes in games of the potential that made him a coveted recruit, someone who dropped 68 points in a high school game. But he’s still adapting to Kelvin Sampson’s demands. Defensive and otherwise.
“That’s why we came here. To let Coach Sampson do what he need to do. He’s going to develop him and do what he need to do.” — Master P on his faith in Kelvin Sampson
Mercy Miller’s Growth Plan
Master P has seen plenty of change in his 19-year-old son already since Mercy arrived on the UH campus.
“He’s done grown a lot,” Master P tells PaperCity. “He’s where he needs to be at. Just trust the process.
“His goal is he wants to get to the NBA. So you’ve got to put the work in.”
Master P’s always loved basketball. He even played some professionally, going through training camps with the Charlotte Hornets and Toronto Raptors and playing for the Fort Wayne Fury in the CBA. Musicians want to be hoopers and hoopers want to be musicians. It’s one of the truest stories in the book. But Percy Miller could actually play. And Mercy Miller credits his dad with fostering his love for basketball.
Master P put a small basketball in Mercy Miller’s hands when his son was 3 years old.
“Went to Target bought a little plastic goal and he started dunking on it,” Master P says. “The rest is history. He just keeps getting better and better.
“You’ve got to put the work in. Hard work and dedication, put the work in.”

Master P swears he doesn’t take any of this for granted. To have his youngest son playing college basketball for one of the truly elite college basketball programs in the country means plenty to him.
“I feel like seeing him at the University of Houston is incredible,” Master P says. “Knowing that he worked hard. It’s not about me. He building his own name on the basketball court. And one day he’s going to be a superstar.”
Master P grins. He’s wearing a New Orleans sweatshirt, repping his hometown, the city he still tries to lift up whenever he can. DeJon Jarreau, Houston’s former Final Four point guard, a product of one of New Orleans’ tougher neighborhoods, comes over to pull Master P into an embrace.
“Master P! Percy Miller!” a middle-aged woman shouts, leaning over a sidewall, trying to get his attention.
“How you doing?” Master P shoots back, diamond grinning all the way.
He’s just another dad watching his son. Embracing other UH fans. Believing in the Kelvin Sampson way. No extra fuss needed.
For an inside look at Mercy Miller’s basketball journey at the University of Houston, check out PaperCity’s full feature.