Patrick Sammy Mills (born 11 August 1988) is an Australian professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player for the

Brooklyn Nets The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

(NBA). Mills was born and raised in Canberra, and is of

Torres Strait Islander Torres Strait Islanders () are the Indigenous Melanesian people of the Torres Strait Islands, which are part of the state of Queensland, Australia. Ethnically distinct from the Aboriginal people of the rest of Australia, they are often groupe ...

and

Aboriginal Australian Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait Isl ...

descent. In 2007, he became the third Indigenous basketball player to play for the Australian national team. Mills was selected by the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

with the 55th overall pick in the

2009 NBA draft The 2009 NBA draft was held on June 25, 2009, at the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In this draft, the National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other e ...

after playing two years of

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for the

Saint Mary's Gaels The Saint Mary's Gaels are the athletic teams that compete at Saint Mary's College of California in Moraga, California. The nickname applies to the college's intercollegiate NCAA Division I teams and to the school's club sports teams. Most varsit ...

. Mills played for the Portland Trail Blazers for two seasons. In 2011, during the NBA lockout, he played for the Melbourne Tigers of the National Basketball League (NBL) and for the

Xinjiang Flying Tigers The Xinjiang Guanghui Flying Tigers () is a professional basketball team based in Ürümqi, Xinjiang, China. The team play its home games at the Hongshan Arena, which has a capacity for 3,800 spectators. The club joined the Chinese Basketball ...

in China. Mills returned to the United States in March 2012 and signed with the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home ...

. He became a strong contributor off the bench and helped the Spurs win the 2014 NBA championship. In 2021 he led the Australian Boomers to their first ever medal in international competition at the

Tokyo 2020 Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the 1 ...

. Mills is known for his three-point shooting and his leadership qualities.

Early life and family

Mills was born in the Australian capital city of Canberra. Mills' father, Benny, is a

( Muralag) and his mother, Yvonne, is Aboriginal Australian (

Kokatha The Kokatha, also known as the Kokatha Mula, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the state of South Australia. They speak the Kokatha language, close to or a dialect of the Western Desert language. Country Traditional Kokatha lands extend ov ...

), the daughter of a white man and an Aboriginal woman. As part of the

Stolen Generations The Stolen Generations (also known as Stolen Children) were the children of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent who were removed from their families by the Australian federal and state government agencies and church mis ...

, she and her four siblings were taken from their parents by the Australian state after her parents' separation in 1949. Mills has said that learning of his mother's past was a "turning point" in his understanding of his identity as

Indigenous Australian Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

. Mills' uncle is former Olympian basketballer Danny Morseu, the second Indigenous Australian to represent Australia at the Olympics in basketball; Mills would be the third, thirty years later. He is the cousin of

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 11 ...

players

Edrick Lee Edrick Lee (born 18 September 1992) is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays as a er for the Dolphins (NRL), Dolphins in the National Rugby League, NRL. Lee previously played for the Canberra Raiders, Cronulla-Sutherland ...

Brenko Lee Brenko Lee (born 10 October 1995) is a Tonga international rugby league footballer who plays as a and er for the Dolphins in the National Rugby League. Lee previously played for the Brisbane Broncos, Canberra Raiders, Canterbury-Bankstown Bu ...

and fellow basketball player

Nathan Jawai Nathan Leon Jawai (born 10 October 1986) is an Australian professional basketball player for the Darwin Salties of the NBL1 North. Standing at 209 cm, he plays at the power forward and centre positions. Early life Born at the Royal Hospi ...

. Mills' great uncle is Indigenous

land rights Land law is the form of law that deals with the rights to use, alienate, or exclude others from land. In many jurisdictions, these kinds of property are referred to as real estate or real property, as distinct from personal property. Land use a ...

activist

Eddie Mabo Edward Koiki Mabo (''né'' Sambo; 29 June 1936 – 21 January 1992) was an Indigenous Australian man from the Torres Strait Islands known for his role in campaigning for Indigenous land rights in Australia, in particular the landmark decision o ...

Early basketball career

Mills first took up basketball as a four-year-old for a local Indigenous club his parents established called "The Shadows". Growing up, he was the ball boy for the

Canberra Cannons The Canberra Cannons are a defunct basketball team that competed in Australia's National Basketball League (NBL). They went into financial administration in 2003 and were relocated to Newcastle, where they became the Hunter Pirates. After t ...

of the National Basketball League (NBL). Mills' future coach at

Saint Mary's College of California Saint Mary's College of California is a private Catholic college in Moraga, California. Established in 1863, it is affiliated with the Catholic Church and administered by the De La Salle Brothers. The college offers undergraduate and graduate ...

, David Patrick, played for the Cannons during that time and developed a relationship with the Mills family. In addition to playing basketball, Mills also played underage Australian rules football at a high level. He had an opportunity to pursue a career in the Australian Football League (AFL), but decided to concentrate on basketball instead. In 2005, he made a strong impression at the Australian Olympic Youth Festival, an event considered to be a showcase for future elite sporting talents. Mills attended Canberra's

Marist College Marist College is a private university in Poughkeepsie, New York. Founded in 1905, Marist was formed by the Marist Brothers, a Catholic religious institute, to prepare brothers for their vocations as educators. In 2003, it became a secular in ...

, but left at the end of 2004 to attend the Australian Institute of Sport and

Lake Ginninderra College University of Canberra Senior Secondary College Lake Ginninderra, formerly known as Lake Ginninderra College until 2011, is a public secondary college for students in Years 11 and 12. It is located in the Australian Capital Territory, Australia, ...

. In January 2006, Mills was awarded the prestigious RE Staunton Medal at the U20 Nationals in Perth. As a member of the 2006 Junior National Men's Team, Mills helped Australia defeat New Zealand and qualify for the 2007 Junior Men's World Championships. In April, Mills was a member of the World Junior Select Team that competed against the United States in the

Nike Hoop Summit The Nike Hoop Summit is an international men's basketball all-star game sponsored by Nike, held once a year since 1995, except from 2001–2003, which features the USA Basketball Men's Junior Select Team against a World Select Team of international ...

. Mills was named the 2006

SEABL The South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL) was an Australian semi-professional basketball league. The league comprised both a men's and women's competition and was run by the country's governing body, Basketball Australia. The league wa ...

U/21 Australian Youth Player of the Year, averaging 18.1 points and 3.9 rebounds per game and helping the AIS to a 16–10 regular season record. He finished the season third in assists in the SEABL, averaging 4.37 per game. Also in 2006, Mills was the youngest athlete selected in the 22-man extended Australian Boomers squad ahead of the

2006 FIBA World Championship The 2006 FIBA World Championship was the 15th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship for men's national teams. The tournament was hosted by Japan and held from 19 August to 3 September 2006. It was co-organised by ...

. In July, he was named the 2006 Junior Male Player of the Year at

Basketball Australia Basketball Australia is the governing and controlling body of basketball in Australia, responsible for the development and promotion of the sport at all levels. Basketball Australia sanctions Australia's two professional leagues, the Nation ...

's annual Junior Basketball Awards. Mills was named the "most promising new sports talent" at the 2006 Deadlys Awards. The Deadlys Awards honor Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders achievements in sports, music, entertainment and community. In addition to receiving the Deadlys Award, Mills was named the 2006 Australia Basketball Player of the Year and the National Sportsperson of the Year by the NAIDOC.

College career

In November 2006, Mills signed to play college basketball for

beginning in the 2007–08 season. He joined fellow Australians Lucas Walker and Carlin Hughes on the Gaels for the 2007–08 season. Mills was named the WCC Newcomer of the Year and earned All-WCC First Team honours after helping the Gaels earn a top 25 ranking for the first time since the 1988–89 season. He started all 32 games for the Gaels as a freshman, posting a team-high 14.8 points, 2.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.8 steals in 32.1 minutes. He set a Saint Mary's freshman record for points in a season with 472, and set the school freshman mark for points in a game with a 37-point performance against

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

on 20 November 2007. He was also a three-time WCC Player of the Week honouree (16 November, 24 December and 19 February). As a sophomore in 2008–09, Mills averaged 18.4 points, 3.9 assists, 2.4 rebounds and 2.2 steals in 32.1 minutes and was named WCC Player of the Week twice (24 November and 8 December). He was subsequently named All-WCC First Team for a second straight year. In April 2009, Mills declared for the NBA draft, forgoing his final two years of college eligibility.

Professional career

Portland Trail Blazers (2009–2011)

On 25 June 2009, Mills was selected with the 55th overall pick by the

, becoming the first Saint Mary's player since 1983 to be drafted, and was the highest pick since 1961. On 9 July 2009, Mills fractured the fifth metatarsal in his right foot during practice and was subsequently ruled out of the NBA Summer League. On 16 October 2009, he signed a contract with the Trail Blazers. After completing rehabilitation, Mills was assigned to the

Idaho Stampede Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyomi ...

of the NBA Development League on 29 December 2009. On 4 January 2010, Mills was called up to the NBA by the Trail Blazers. Mills made his NBA debut that night. He was reassigned to the Stampede on 13 January before being recalled again on 23 January. Mills appeared in 10 games with the Trail Blazers during his rookie season, averaging 2.6 points in 3.8 minutes. He scored a season-high 11 points in Portland's regular-season finale on 14 April against the Golden State Warriors. He also appeared in three playoff games for the Trail Blazers. In 2010–11, Mills played in 64 games for the Trail Blazers, averaging 5.5 points and 1.7 assists in 12.2 minutes. He scored in double figures 10 times and posted what was a career-best 23 points in Portland's regular-season finale on 13 April against Golden State. He also appeared in two playoff games for the Trail Blazers. Patty Mills three goggles

Melbourne Tigers (2011)

Due to the 2011 NBA lockout, Mills returned to Australia to play in the National Basketball League (NBL). On 29 August 2011, he signed with the Melbourne Tigers, reportedly turning down lucrative offers from a number of European teams. In the Tigers' season opener on 7 October 2011, Mills scored a game-high 28 points in an 82–76 win over the Sydney Kings.

Xinjiang Flying Tigers (2011–2012)

Mills was released by the Tigers on 20 November after receiving an offer of about $1 million from a Chinese team, the

. In nine games for Melbourne, he averaged 18.6 points, 2.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game. On 4 January 2012, Mills was released by Xinjiang after being out for 10 days with a hamstring injury. With the NBA lockout ending on 8 December 2011, Mills wanted to return to the Portland Trail Blazers, but the

Chinese Basketball Association The Chinese Basketball Association (), often abbreviated as the CBA, is the first-tier professional men's basketball league in China. The league is commonly known by fans as the CBA, and this acronym is even used in Chinese on a regular basis ...

could not guarantee that he would receive FIBA clearance until March. Reports later surfaced that Mills was sacked by Xinjiang for allegedly faking the hamstring injury; Mills denied the allegation that his hamstring injury was faked. In 12 games for Xinjiang, he averaged 26.5 points per game.

San Antonio Spurs (2012–2021)

On 27 March 2012, Mills signed with the

. On 26 April 2012, Mills set career highs with 34 points and 12 assists for his first NBA double-double in a 107–101 win over the Golden State Warriors. Mills posted the highest single-game score by an Australian in the NBA, surpassing

Andrew Bogut Andrew Michael Bogut (born 28 November 1984) is an Australian former basketball player who spent the majority of his professional career playing in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The tall center was selected by the Milwaukee Buck ...

's 32 points in January 2010. On 13 July 2012, Mills re-signed with the Spurs. In the Spurs' second last game of the regular season on 15 April 2013, Mills scored a season-high 23 points in a 116–106 loss to Golden State. The Spurs went on to reach the

2013 NBA Finals The 2013 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2012–13 season and conclusion of the season's playoffs. In this best-of-seven playoff series, the defending NBA champion and Eastern Conference ...

, where they lost in seven games to the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...

. Mills missed the final four games of the NBA Finals with an abscess removal on his right foot. Aron Baynes and Patty Mills in front of the ACT Legislative Assembly in July 2014

Aron Baynes and Patty Mills in front of the ACT Legislative Assembly in July 2014

On 24 June 2013, Mills exercised his player option to return to the Spurs for the 2013–14 season. During the offseason, Mills lost weight and dropped his body fat. Mills appeared in a team-high 81 games, including two starts, averaging 10.2 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists in a career-high 18.9 minutes. He logged 1,527 minutes in 2013–14 after totaling 1,737 minutes in his previous four seasons combined. Mills helped the Spurs return to the NBA Finals in 2014, where they again faced the Miami Heat. In Game 5 of the NBA Finals, Mills scored 14 of his 17 points in the third quarter to help lift the Spurs to a 104–87 series-clinching win. On 11 July 2014, the Spurs signed Mills to a three-year, $12 million contract. He missed the first 31 games of the 2014–15 season with a shoulder injury. On 25 April 2017, Mills scored a postseason-high 20 points on 5-for-7 shooting in a 116–103 win over the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference ...

in Game 5 of their first-round series. On 4 August 2017, Mills re-signed with the Spurs on a four-year, $50 million contract. On 4 December 2017, in a 96–93 win over the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at L ...

, Mills became the third Spur to have made 500 3-pointers as a reserve; the others are

Manu Ginóbili Emanuel David Ginóbili Maccari (, , ; born 28 July 1977) is an Argentine former professional basketball player. Over a 23-year professional career, he became one of only two players (along with Bill Bradley) to have won a EuroLeague title, an ...

and

Matt Bonner Matthew Robert Bonner (born April 5, 1980), also known as the Red Rocket or Red Mamba, is an American former professional basketball player. Bonner played college basketball for the University of Florida before being selected by the Chicago Bu ...

. On 18 December 2017, in a 109–91 win over the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...

, Mills became one of only three Spurs in franchise history to have scored 3,000 career points as a reserve; the others are Ginóbili and Malik Rose. On 25 February 2018 against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Mills climbed into fourth place on the Spurs' list of all-time 3-pointers made. In March 2019, Mills became the only Spurs player to make more than 120 3-pointers in five different seasons. On 19 January 2020, Mills made his 1,000th NBA 3-pointer. He is the first Australian player in NBA history to reach that milestone. On 29 December 2020, he became the tenth player in Spurs history to play in 600 games with the team. As of December 2020, Mills is the Spurs' longest-tenured player and is the only player remaining on the roster who was a member of the Spurs' NBA championship-winning team in 2014. Also as of December 2020, only two NBA players--

Udonis Haslem Udonis Johneal Haslem ( born June 9, 1980) is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Florida Gators, where he was a key member of four N ...

of the

and Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors—had been with their respective teams longer than Mills had been with the Spurs. On 18 January 2021, Mills set an NBA record for most 3-point shots made for one team as a reserve. On 14 March, Mills overtook

's record for most NBA games played by an Australian by playing his 706th game.

Brooklyn Nets (2021–present)

On 10 August 2021, Mills signed with the

. On 19 October, Mills made his Nets debut, scoring 21 points on 7-of-7 shooting from deep in a 127–104 loss to the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...

. In his debut, Mills tied the league record for most threes made in a debut with a new team. On October 22, Mills became the first player to shoot a perfect 10-of-10 from the three-point line in the first two games of the season. On 14 November, Mills scored 29 points on a career-high nine three pointers in a 120–96 win over the

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team plays i ...

. On 22 November, Mills scored 17 points against the Cavaliers to overtake

's NBA record of most points scored by an Australian. On 14 December, in a 131–129 overtime win over the

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. They play their home games a ...

, Mills played a career-high 43 minutes and had a then season-high 30 points on 7-of-14 from three including the game-tying three that sent the game to overtime. On the NBA Christmas game, Mills tied his career-high with 34 points on 8-for-13 from three in a 122–115 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. His eight three-pointers made broke the record for the most three-pointers made on Christmas Day. On 10 July 2022, Mills re-signed with the Nets on a two-year, $14.5 million contract.

National team career

In 2007, Mills made his senior national team debut for the Boomers at the

FIBA Oceania Championship FIBA Oceania Championship was the Oceania basketball championships that took place every two years between national teams of the continent. Through the 2015 edition, the Oceania Championship was also a qualifying tournament for the Basketball ...

. Mills became the third

Indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

basketball player to play for Australia behind Olympians

Michael Ah Matt Michael Henry George Ah Matt (30 November 1942 – 14 February 1983) was an Indigenous Australian professional basketball player. He played for the Australian national basketball team at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. Ah Matt was born on 30 Novembe ...

(1964) and Danny Morseu (1980–84). The following year, he played for Australia at the

FIBA Diamond Ball The FIBA Diamond Ball competition was an official international basketball tournament organised by FIBA,http://www.fiba.basketball/en/events FIBA´s official events by year held every Olympic year prior to the Summer Olympics. The first tournamen ...

tournament and represented his country at the Beijing Olympics, where he averaged 14.2 points per game. Mills went on to play for Australia at the

2010 FIBA World Championship The 2010 FIBA World Championship was the 16th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship contested by the men's national teams. The tournament ran from 28 August to 12 September 2010. It was co-organised by the Inte ...

and 2011 FIBA Oceania Championship, before once again representing his country at the

2012 London Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

. At the 2012 Olympics, Mills had the highest scoring average with 21.2 points per game, ahead of

Kevin Durant Kevin Wayne Durant ( ; born September 29, 1988), also known by his initials KD, is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for t ...

of the United States, who averaged 19.5 points per game. In 2013, Mills played for Australia at the

. Two years later, he played at the

2015 FIBA Oceania Championship The 2015 FIBA Oceania Championship for Men was the 22nd edition of the tournament. The tournament featured a two-game series between Australia and New Zealand. It also served as the qualifying tournament of FIBA Oceania for basketball at th ...

. In 2016, he helped the Boomers finish fourth at the

2016 Rio Olympics ) , nations = 207 (including IOA and EOR teams) , athletes = 11,238 , events = 306 in 28 sports (41 disciplines) , opening = 5 August 2016 , closing = 21 August 2016 , opened_by = Vice President Michel Temer , cauldron = Vanderlei Cordeiro de ...

. Mills became the first Indigenous Australian to be a

flag bearer A standard-bearer, also known as a flag-bearer is a person (soldier or civilian) who bears an emblem known as a standard or military colours, i.e. either a type of flag or an inflexible but mobile image, which is used (and often honoured) as a f ...

when he carried the

Australian flag The flag of Australia, also known as the Australian Blue Ensign, is based on the British Blue Ensign—a blue field with the Union Jack in the upper hoist quarter—augmented with a large white seven-pointed star (the Commonwealth Star) and a r ...

alongside swimmer

Cate Campbell Cate Natalie Campbell, (born 20 May 1992) is a Malawian-born Australian competitive swimmer, and a current multiple world record holder, who won two bronze medals at the 2008 Summer Olympics, a gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics, a gold a ...

at the opening ceremony for the

2020 Tokyo Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the List of Olympic Games h ...

. As captain, Mills helped lead Australia to obtain their first ever Olympic medal in men's basketball by scoring 42 points against

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

in the bronze medal game. His performance also earned him honours as the shooting guard in the Tokyo 2020 All Star Five for the men's Olympics basketball tournament.

Player profile

Mills is known for his three-point shooting, his commitment to the team culture of the San Antonio Spurs and the Boomers, his enthusiasm, and his leadership qualities. During the 2010–11 season, the "3 Goggles" trend became popular in the NBA, whereby players fit themselves with "A-OK" hand-gesture goggles after they make a three-point basket during a game. Mills and teammate Rudy Fernández are credited with having started the trend. Mills and his teammates would poke fun at Fernández's struggles from beyond the three-point line, indicating he couldn't see very well. So when Fernandez started sinking three-point shots, they would make goggles with their hands over their eyes in tribute to his skill. From Fernández's perspective, when he started to make three-point shots, he would make the goggle gesture to show Mills his vision was OK. T-shirts with the gesture were printed and popularly sold in Portland.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , align="left" , , align="left" , Portland , 10 , , 0 , , 3.8 , , .417 , , .500 , , .571 , , .2 , , .5 , , .0 , , .0 , , 2.6 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Portland , 64 , , 0 , , 12.2 , , .412 , , .353 , , .766 , , .8 , , 1.7 , , .4 , , .0 , , 5.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

, 16 , , 3 , , 16.3 , , .485 , , .429 , , 1.000 , , 1.8 , , 2.4 , , .6 , , .1 , , 10.3 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 58 , , 2 , , 11.3 , , .469 , , .400 , , .842 , , .9 , , 1.1 , , .4 , , .1 , , 5.1 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", † , align="left" ,

, 81 , , 2 , , 18.9 , , .464 , , .425 , , .890 , , 2.1 , , 1.8 , , .8 , , .1 , , 10.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 51 , , 0 , , 15.7 , , .381 , , .341 , , .825 , , 1.5 , , 1.7 , , .5 , , .0 , , 6.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 81 , , 3 , , 20.5 , , .425 , , .384 , , .810 , , 2.0 , , 2.8 , , .7 , , .1 , , 8.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 80 , , 8 , , 21.9 , , .439 , , .413 , , .825 , , 1.8 , , 3.5 , , .8 , , .0 , , 9.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 36 , , 25.7 , , .411 , , .372 , , .890 , , 1.9 , , 2.8 , , .7 , , .1 , , 10.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 1 , , 23.3 , , .425 , , .394 , , .854 , , 2.2 , , 3.0 , , .6 , , .1 , , 9.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 66 , , 1 , , 22.5 , , .431 , , .382 , , .866 , , 1.6 , , 1.8 , , .8 , , .1 , , 11.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 68 , , 1 , , 24.8 , , .412 , , .375 , , .910 , , 1.7 , , 2.4 , , .6 , , .0 , , 10.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, 81 , , 48 , , 29.0 , , .408 , , .400 , , .814 , , 1.9 , , 2.3 , , .6 , , .2 , , 11.4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 820 , , 105 , , 20.7 , , .426 , , .389 , , .855 , , 1.7 , , 2.3 , , .7 , , .1 , , 9.2

Playoffs

, - , align="left" , 2010 , align="left" , Portland , 3 , , 0 , , 4.0 , , .500 , , 1.000 , , 1.000 , , .0 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 2.0 , - , align="left" , 2011 , align="left" , Portland , 2 , , 0 , , 2.5 , , .000 , , .000 , , – , , .5 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , - , align="left" ,

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

, align="left" ,

, 8 , , 0 , , 3.9 , , .545 , , .600 , , – , , .4 , , .6 , , .1 , , .0 , , 1.9 , - , align="left" ,

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

, align="left" ,

, 9 , , 0 , , 3.4 , , .500 , , .286 , , – , , .3 , , .2 , , .0 , , .0 , , 1.3 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

† , align="left" ,

, 23 , , 0 , , 15.3 , , .447 , , .405 , , .769 , , 1.5 , , 1.4 , , .7 , , .0 , , 7.3 , - , align="left" , 2015 , align="left" ,

, 7 , , 0 , , 16.0 , , .500 , , .571 , , 1.000 , , 2.7 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , .0 , , 10.1 , - , align="left" ,

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

, align="left" ,

, 10 , , 0 , , 16.7 , , .434 , , .361 , , .636 , , 1.4 , , 2.0 , , .7 , , .0 , , 6.6 , - , align="left" ,

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

, align="left" ,

, 16 , , 6 , , 26.0 , , .407 , , .360 , , .864 , , 2.1 , , 2.7 , , .8 , , .1 , , 10.3 , - , align="left" ,

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...

, align="left" ,

, 5 , , 5 , , 33.0 , , .439 , , .371 , , .800 , , 2.0 , , 2.6 , , .6 , , .2 , , 13.4 , - , align="left" ,

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

, align="left" ,

, 7 , , 0 , , 21.7 , , .326 , , .136 , , .600 , , 2.1 , , 3.6 , , 1.0 , , .1 , , 5.3 , - , align="left" ,

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...

, align="left" ,

, 4 , , 0 , , 18.0 , , .563 , , .538 , , — , , 1.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .3 , , 6.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 94 , , 11 , , 16.1 , , .434 , , .386 , , .800 , , 1.5 , , 1.6 , , .5 , , .1 , , 6.7

Personal life

Portland Mayor Sam Adams with Assisting Australia

Mills met long-time girlfriend Alyssa Mills (née Levesque), who was also a college basketball player, while they were both attending Saint Mary's College of California. On 8 July 2019, they were married in Waimea Valley,

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

. In July 2014, Mills was presented with the keys to the city in Canberra in the wake of the Spurs' championship success. In 2017, Mills co-wrote a series of books for young readers with Jared Thomas, published in 2018 as ''Game Day! Championship Collection''. He is a supporter of the

Adelaide Crows The Adelaide Crows (officially the Adelaide Football Club) are a professional Australian rules football team based in Adelaide, South Australia. Founded in 1990. The Crows has fielded a men's team in the Australian Football League (AFL) since ...

in the Australian Football League.

Activism

In 2011, Mills started the charity project "Assist Australia" following

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

's floods in March 2010 and in December 2010 to January 2011. His first charity work came in 2010, helping raise over $40,000 for the first flood relief. Mills has used his platform and resources to fight racism and police brutality, especially in his home country of Australia. In 2020, Mills helped launch "We Got You", a campaign to show support for athletes as they fight racism in Australian sport. He also gave about $1 million to Black Lives Matter Australia and Black Deaths in Custody.

Recognition

*2021 - Sport Australia Hall of Fame 'Don Award' *2021- CBR Sports Awards - Men’s Sport Athlete of the Year *2022 - ACT Representative for Australian of the Year *2022 - Appointed as a Member of the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gov ...

(AM) in the 2022 Australia Day Honours for "significant service to basketball, to charitable initiatives to the Indigenous community".

References

External links

Saint Mary's Gaels bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mills, Patty 1988 births Living people 2010 FIBA World Championship players 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup players ACT Academy of Sport alumni Australian expatriate basketball people in the United States Australian expatriate sportspeople in China Australian Institute of Sport basketball players Basketball players at the 2008 Summer Olympics Basketball players at the 2012 Summer Olympics Basketball players at the 2016 Summer Olympics Basketball players at the 2020 Summer Olympics Brooklyn Nets players Idaho Stampede players Indigenous Australian basketball players Indigenous Australian Olympians Members of the Order of Australia Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics Melbourne Tigers players National Basketball Association players from Australia Olympic basketball players of Australia Olympic bronze medalists for Australia Olympic medalists in basketball People educated at Lake Ginninderra College Point guards Portland Trail Blazers draft picks Portland Trail Blazers players Saint Mary's Gaels men's basketball players San Antonio Spurs players Sportspeople from Canberra Torres Strait Islanders Xinjiang Flying Tigers players Australian men's basketball players

Early life and family

Early basketball career

College career

Professional career

Portland Trail Blazers (2009–2011)

Melbourne Tigers (2011)

Xinjiang Flying Tigers (2011–2012)

San Antonio Spurs (2012–2021)

Brooklyn Nets (2021–present)

National team career

Player profile

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

Playoffs

Personal life

Activism

Recognition

See also

References

External links