LAS VEGAS – The truth for bareback rider Bradlee Miller is that he has to play the game he loves in some serious pain.

He suffered a neck injury during his fifth-round ride, and it’s cause extreme discomfort. As with anything to do with the spine, there are some side affects that aren’t helping either.

“It’s getting pretty bad,” said Miller, 21, of Huntsville, Texas. “The last few nights, it was only my right side that was going numb and hurting me. The last two days, my left arm has completely went limp.”

He’s blocking out the pain and unpleasantness during his inaugural National Finals Rodeo. Whatever is ailing him didn’t show during Friday’s ninth round when he rode Macza Pro Rodeo’s Side Show for 86 points to finish in a three-way tie for third place. He earned $14,308 and increased his NFR payroll to $212,848.

He’s done that in just nine nights of ProRodeo’s grand finale, placing eight times with three round victories. He’s jumped to No. 2 in the world standings with $350,213 and is firmly in contention for the world championship.

Yes, he’s in a position he never considered when he first arrived n Las Vegas less than two weeks ago. He trails fellow Texan Rocker Steiner by less than $30,000 with one night remaining in the 2024 ProRodeo season.

“About halfway through the ride, she set off a pretty bad stinger in my neck,” Miller said of Side Show. “I had no control of my left arm whatsoever.”

Miller rides right-handed, but his free-arm helps him maintain control on the bucking horses. It’s a scary situation to have an extremity go numb while trying to take care of business. He’s been able to maintain excellence despite his situation.

“You now, for $34,000 a night, you can push through some things that you never thought were possible,” Miller said of the nightly payouts to round winners. “Right now is a testament to that. If it was a regular-season rodeo, I’d probably go home for a little while. Here at the National Finals, there’s nothing going to slow me down.”