Patty Mills facts for kids
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Mills with the Brooklyn Nets in 2022
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| Free agent | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Point guard / shooting guard | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 11 August 1988 Canberra, ACT, Australia |
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| High school |
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| Listed height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 180 lb (82 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College | Saint Mary's (2007–2009) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 2009 / Round: 2 / Pick: 55th overall | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Selected by the Portland Trail Blazers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 2009–present | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2011 | Portland Trail Blazers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2010 | →Idaho Stampede | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011 | Melbourne Tigers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | Xinjiang Flying Tigers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2021 | San Antonio Spurs | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021–2023 | Brooklyn Nets | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | Atlanta Hawks | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | Miami Heat | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024–2025 | Utah Jazz | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2025 | Los Angeles Clippers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Patrick Sammie Mills (born August 11, 1988) is an Australian professional basketball player. He last played for the Los Angeles Clippers in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Patty Mills was born and grew up in Canberra, Australia. He is from the Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal Australian communities. In 2007, he became one of the first Indigenous basketball players to join the Australian national team.
The Portland Trail Blazers picked Mills in the 2009 NBA draft. This was after he played two years of college basketball for the Saint Mary's Gaels. He played for the Trail Blazers for two seasons.
In 2011, during an NBA break, he played in Australia and China. Mills then joined the San Antonio Spurs in 2012. He became a key player for them and helped the Spurs win the 2014 NBA championship. In 2021, he led the Australian Boomers to their first-ever Olympic medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. He is known for his great three-point shooting and strong leadership.
Contents
Patty Mills' Early Life and Family
Patty Mills was born in Canberra, the capital city of Australia. His father, Benny, is a Torres Strait Islander. His mother, Yvonne, is Aboriginal Australian.
Patty learned a lot about his family's history. His mother was part of a group of Aboriginal children who were taken from their families long ago. Learning about this helped Patty understand his own identity as an Indigenous Australian.
Patty's uncle, Danny Morseu, was also an Olympian basketball player. Patty is also related to rugby league players Edrick Lee and Brenko Lee, and basketball player Nathan Jawai. His great-uncle, Eddie Mabo, was an important Indigenous land rights activist.
Starting His Basketball Journey
Patty Mills started playing basketball when he was just four years old. He played for a local Indigenous club called "The Shadows," which his parents started. As he grew up, he was a ball boy for the Canberra Cannons, a team in Australia's National Basketball League (NBL).
Patty also played Australian rules football at a high level. He could have played in the Australian Football League (AFL), but he chose to focus on basketball. In 2005, he impressed many at the Australian Olympic Youth Festival. This event showcases future sports stars.
Patty went to Marist College and later attended the Australian Institute of Sport and Lake Ginninderra College. In 2006, he won the RE Staunton Medal at the U20 Nationals. He also helped Australia qualify for the 2007 Junior Men's World Championships.
He was the youngest player chosen for the Australian Boomers squad in 2006. Patty won the Junior Male Player of the Year award from Basketball Australia. He was also named "most promising new sports talent" at the Deadlys Awards, which celebrate Indigenous achievements.
College Basketball Career
In November 2006, Patty Mills decided to play college basketball for Saint Mary's College of California. He joined other Australian players on the team.
As a freshman, Mills was named the West Coast Conference (WCC) Newcomer of the Year. He also made the All-WCC First Team. He started all 32 games and scored a team-high 14.8 points per game. He set a new record for freshmen at Saint Mary's with 472 points in a season. He also scored 37 points in one game against Oregon.
In his second year (2008–09), Mills averaged 18.4 points per game. He was again named to the All-WCC First Team. In April 2009, Mills decided to enter the 2009 NBA draft, leaving college early.
Professional Basketball Journey
Playing for the Portland Trail Blazers (2009–2011)
On June 25, 2009, the Portland Trail Blazers picked Patty Mills as the 55th player in the NBA draft. He was the first Saint Mary's player drafted since 1983.
Soon after, Mills broke a bone in his right foot during practice. He missed the NBA Summer League. He signed a contract with the Trail Blazers in October 2009. After recovering, he played for the Idaho Stampede in the NBA Development League.
Mills made his NBA debut on January 4, 2010. He played in 10 games during his first season, averaging 2.6 points. He scored a season-high 11 points in the last game of the season. In the 2010–11 season, Mills played in 64 games for the Trail Blazers. He averaged 5.5 points and scored a career-best 23 points in a game against Golden State.
Playing in Australia and China (2011–2012)
In 2011, the NBA had a lockout, which meant players couldn't play. Mills went back to Australia and played for the Melbourne Tigers in the NBL. In his first game, he scored 28 points.
Later, he signed with the Xinjiang Flying Tigers in China. He played 12 games there, averaging 26.5 points per game. Mills left China early due to a hamstring injury and wanted to return to the NBA.
Joining the San Antonio Spurs (2012–2021)
On March 27, 2012, Patty Mills signed with the San Antonio Spurs. On April 26, 2012, he had an amazing game, scoring 34 points and making 12 assists. This was his first NBA double-double. He set a new record for the most points scored by an Australian in an NBA game.
Mills re-signed with the Spurs in July 2012. The Spurs reached the 2013 NBA Finals but lost to the Miami Heat. Mills missed the last four games due to a foot injury.
In 2013, Mills worked hard to lose weight and get fitter. He played in 81 games, averaging 10.2 points. He helped the Spurs get back to the 2014 NBA Finals in 2014. They faced the Miami Heat again. In Game 5, Mills scored 14 of his 17 points in the third quarter. This helped the Spurs win the championship!
Mills signed a new contract with the Spurs in 2014. He missed the start of the 2014–15 season because of a shoulder injury.
On April 25, 2017, Mills scored 20 points in a playoff game against the Memphis Grizzlies. In August 2017, he signed another four-year contract with the Spurs.
In December 2017, Mills became one of only three Spurs players to make 500 three-pointers as a reserve. He also became one of three Spurs to score 3,000 career points as a reserve. By March 2019, Mills was the only Spurs player to make over 120 three-pointers in five different seasons.
On January 19, 2020, Mills made his 1,000th NBA three-pointer. He was the first Australian player in NBA history to reach this milestone. By December 2020, Mills was the longest-serving player on the Spurs team. He was the only player left from their 2014 championship team.
On January 18, 2021, Mills set an NBA record for most three-point shots made for one team as a reserve. On March 14, he played his 706th game, passing Andrew Bogut for the most NBA games played by an Australian.
Playing for the Brooklyn Nets (2021–2023)
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On August 10, 2021, Mills signed with the Brooklyn Nets. In his first game with the Nets, he scored 21 points and made 7 three-pointers. He 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 perfectly from the three-point line in the first two games of a season.
On November 14, Mills scored 29 points and made a career-high nine three-pointers. On November 22, he passed Andrew Bogut for the most points scored by an Australian in the NBA. On December 14, Mills played a career-high 43 minutes and scored 30 points. On Christmas Day, he tied his career high with 34 points and broke the record for most three-pointers made on Christmas Day with eight.
Mills re-signed with the Nets in July 2022 for two more years.
Recent Teams (2023–2025)
In July 2023, Mills was traded from the Nets to the Houston Rockets. Then, he was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder and, four days later, to the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks released Mills on February 29, 2024.
On March 6, 2024, Mills signed with the Miami Heat. On September 5, 2024, he signed with the Utah Jazz. On February 1, 2025, Mills was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers. This move reunited him with Kawhi Leonard, who was his teammate on the San Antonio Spurs. He also reunited with Ben Simmons, who played with him on the Brooklyn Nets.
National Team Career
Patty Mills first played for the Boomers in 2007. He was the third Indigenous basketball player to play for Australia in the Olympics. He played for Australia at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, averaging 14.2 points per game.
Mills also played for Australia in the 2010 FIBA World Championship and the 2011 and 2013 FIBA Oceania Championships. He represented his country at the 2012 London Olympics. At the 2012 Olympics, Mills was the top scorer with 21.2 points per game.
In 2016, he helped the Boomers finish fourth at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Mills made history at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He became the first Indigenous Australian to be a flag bearer. He carried the Australian flag with swimmer Cate Campbell at the opening ceremony. As captain, Mills led Australia to win their first-ever Olympic medal in men's basketball. He scored 42 points against Slovenia in the bronze medal game. His 42 points set an Olympic record for points in a medal game.
Mills played for Australia again in the 2024 Paris Olympics. He moved to fifth place on the all-time scoring list at the Olympics. He finished the tournament as Australia's second-leading scorer.
Player Style and Personality
Patty Mills is known for his excellent three-point shooting. He is also known for his dedication to his teams, like the San Antonio Spurs and the Boomers. People admire his energy and leadership skills.
During the 2010–11 season, Mills and his teammate Rudy Fernández started a fun trend called "3 Goggles." After a player made a three-point basket, they would make "A-OK" hand gestures over their eyes like goggles. This started as a joke about Fernández's shooting, but it became very popular in the NBA.
Personal Life
Patty Mills met his wife, Alyssa Mills (née Levesque), when they were both college basketball players at Saint Mary's College. They got married on July 8, 2019, in Hawaii.
In July 2014, Patty was given the keys to the city of Canberra after the Spurs won the NBA championship.
In 2017, Mills co-wrote a series of books for young readers with Jared Thomas. The books were published in 2018 as Game Day! Championship Collection.
Mills is a big fan of rugby league. He supports the Brisbane Broncos and the Queensland Maroons. He also supports the Adelaide Crows in Australian rules football.
Activism and Community Work
In 2011, Mills started a charity project called "Assist Australia." He began this project after floods hit Queensland in 2010 and 2011. His first charity work in 2010 helped raise over $40,000 for flood relief.
Mills uses his platform to speak out against racism and police brutality, especially in Australia. In 2020, he helped launch "We Got You," a campaign to support athletes fighting racism in Australian sports. He also donated his entire 2020 NBA salary from the "bubble" season to Black Lives Matter Australia and groups working on Black Deaths in Custody issues.
Awards and 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 (AM) for his service to basketball, charity, and the Indigenous community.
Images for kids
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Patty Mills playing for the Melbourne Tigers in 2011.
See also
In Spanish: Patty Mills para niños
