Patty Mills facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Patty Mills
AM

Mills with La Laguna Tenerife in 2026
No. 8 – ASVEL
Point guard / shooting guard
Personal information
Born	(1988-08-11) 11 August 1988 (age 38) Canberra, ACT, Australia
High school	Marist College (Canberra, Australia) Lake Ginninderra (Canberra, Australia)
Listed height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 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
League	LNB Élite EuroLeague
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
2026	La Laguna Tenerife
2026–present	ASVEL
Career highlights and awards
NBA champion (2014) The Don Award Winner (2021) 3× Gaze Medalist (2008, 2010, 2021) 2× First-team All-WCC (2008, 2009) WCC Newcomer of the Year (2008) WCC All-Freshman Team (2008) No. 13 retired by Saint Mary's Gaels
Medals Men's basketball Representing  Australia Olympic Games Bronze 2020 Tokyo Team FIBA Oceania Championship 2007 Australia 2011 Australia 2013 Australia 2015 Australia

Patrick Sammie Mills AM is an Australian professional basketball star. He plays for ASVEL in the French LNB Élite and the EuroLeague. He is also the sports leader for Hawaii Rainbow Warriors basketball at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. Mills grew up in the Australian capital of Canberra. He is proud of his Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal Australian roots. His family belongs to both the Kokatha and the Dauareb-Meriam groups. In 2007, he became the third Indigenous star for the Australian national team. Mills was picked by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2009 NBA draft. That came after two great seasons playing college basketball for the Saint Mary's Gaels.

Mills spent two seasons with Portland before playing in Australia and China. He played for the Melbourne Tigers in the National Basketball League. He also played for the Xinjiang Flying Tigers during the NBA lockout. Mills joined the San Antonio Spurs in 2012. He quickly turned into an important team leader from the bench. He helped the Spurs win the championship in the 2014 NBA Finals. In 2021, Mills helped the Australian Boomers earn their first Olympic medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Fans often call him "FIBA Patty" for his big Olympic games. He is the fifth-highest scorer in Olympic basketball history. Mills is famous for his three-point shots and inspiring leadership.

Patty Mills Early Life and Family Heritage

Mills was born in Canberra, the capital of Australia. His father Benny is a Torres Strait Islander from Muralag. His mother Yvonne is an Aboriginal Australian woman of Kokatha heritage. As a child, Yvonne and her siblings were taken from their parents. This difficult event was part of Australian history called the Stolen Generations. Learning about this past helped Patty understand his cultural identity as an Indigenous Australian.

Sports and leadership run deep in the Mills family. His uncle Danny Morseu was an Olympian in basketball. Mills became the third Indigenous player for Australia thirty years after his uncle. He is related to rugby league player Edrick Lee. He is also related to basketball center Nathan Jawai. His famous great-uncle Eddie Mabo fought hard for Indigenous land rights.

Starting the Basketball Journey as a Child

Mills began playing basketball when he was just four years old. His parents started a local club for Indigenous children called "The Shadows". As a boy, Patty was a ball boy for the Canberra Cannons in the National Basketball League. The assistant coach for the Cannons was David Patrick. Patrick became a close friend of the Mills family. Later, Patrick helped coach Mills when he went to college.

Patty was an amazing young athlete who loved many games. He was very good at Australian rules football. Leaders in the Australian Football League hoped he would pick their sport. However, Mills loved basketball the most and chose to focus on hoops. In 2005, he showed his skills at the Australian Olympic Youth Festival. Experts saw him as a future sports star.

Patty attended school at Marist College in Canberra. He trained hard at the Australian Institute of Sport between 2005 and 2007. He also attended Lake Ginninderra College for high school. In 2006, he won the RE Staunton Medal at the junior nationals. With the junior team, he helped Australia qualify for world tournaments. He also joined the World Junior Select Team at the famous Nike Hoop Summit.

Playing for the AIS men's team in the South East Australian Basketball League, Patty was a standout. He earned the 2006 Under-21 Australian Youth Player of the Year award. Mills scored over 18 points per game that season. He also handed out lots of assists to his teammates. In 2006, he joined the training group for the Australian Boomers. Basketball Australia gave him the Junior Male Player of the Year award. He won awards at the Deadlys, which honor Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander achievements. He was also named the National Sportsperson of the Year during NAIDOC Week.

College Basketball Success at Saint Mary's

Mills in December 2008, during his sophomore season

In late 2006, Mills decided to travel to the United States. He joined the Saint Mary's Gaels in California. He joined fellow Australians Lucas Walker and Carlin Hughes on the roster. Mills started playing for the Gaels in the 2007–08 season. He quickly became one of the fastest players in all of college sports.

During his first year, Mills led the Gaels into the top-25 rankings. It was the first time Saint Mary's was ranked since 1989. Mills started all 32 games for the Gaels that season. He led the team with almost 15 points per game. He was named the West Coast Conference Newcomer of the Year. He also made the All-WCC First Team. Mills set a new freshman record for Saint Mary's by scoring 472 points. He scored 37 points in one single game against the Oregon Ducks. He won three weekly conference awards during that great season.

During his second season in 2008–09, Mills played even better. He averaged over 18 points and almost four assists per game. He won two more weekly player awards from the West Coast Conference. Again, he earned a spot on the All-WCC First Team. In April 2009, Mills announced he would enter the 2009 NBA draft. He decided to skip his final two college years to play professionally. Saint Mary's later retired his number 13 jersey to honor him.

Professional Basketball Career Around the World

Portland Trail Blazers Career From 2009 to 2011

On June 25, 2009, the Portland Trail Blazers selected Mills in the draft. He was taken with the 55th pick. He became the first Saint Mary's player drafted since 1983. In July, Mills hurt his foot during practice. He had to miss playing in the summer league games. He signed his official contract with the team that October. To get back in shape, he played for the Idaho Stampede in the minor league.

On January 4, 2010, the Trail Blazers called Mills up to the NBA. He played his first NBA game that night. Mills split time between the Trail Blazers and the Idaho Stampede. In his first NBA year, he appeared in 10 games. He scored 11 points in a game against the Golden State Warriors. He also played in three playoff games for Portland.

During his second season in 2010–11, Mills played in 64 games for Portland. He scored over five points per game off the bench. He scored in double figures 10 times that season. In the final game of that season, he scored 23 points. He also played two playoff games for the Trail Blazers. Fans loved his energy, speed, and positive attitude on the bench.

Mills (center) strikes a "3 Goggles" pose with two fans in 2011.

Playing in Melbourne and China in 2011

In 2011, the NBA paused games because of the 2011 NBA lockout. Mills returned home to play in the National Basketball League. He signed a contract with the Melbourne Tigers in August 2011. In his first game for Melbourne, he scored 28 points against the Sydney Kings. Fans in Australia loved watching their national team hero play live.

Mills played nine games for the Melbourne Tigers in late 2011. He scored over 18 points per game while playing in Australia. In November 2011, he moved to China to join the Xinjiang Flying Tigers. He played 12 games in the Chinese Basketball Association. Mills scored an amazing 26.5 points per game in China. When his contract ended, he got ready to return to the NBA.

Championship Years with the San Antonio Spurs

Mills during his stint with the Melbourne Tigers

Mills signed with the San Antonio Spurs on March 27, 2012. He quickly found a great home playing for coach Gregg Popovich. On April 26, 2012, Mills scored 34 points and made 12 assists. That gave him his first NBA double-double. His 34 points set a record for the most points by an Australian in an NBA game. He broke the old record of 32 points set by center Andrew Bogut.

Mills re-signed with the Spurs for the 2012–13 season. He helped the team reach the 2013 NBA Finals. San Antonio played an exciting series against the Miami Heat. The Spurs ended up losing in seven close games. Mills worked hard that summer to get into top shape. He became faster, stronger, and more accurate with his outside shot.

Mills (right) and teammate Aron Baynes in July 2014, with the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy

During the 2013–14 season, Mills played in 81 regular games. He became an important spark plug off the bench. He averaged 10.2 points per game for the Spurs. San Antonio returned to the 2014 NBA Finals for a rematch with the Miami Heat. In game 5 of the finals, Mills was unstoppable. He scored 14 points in the third quarter alone. His outside shooting helped the Spurs win the game and the NBA championship. Mills celebrated the victory with Australian teammate Aron Baynes.

Mills stayed with the Spurs for many more successful years. He signed a new contract with the team in July 2014. In 2017, he scored 20 points in a playoff win over the Memphis Grizzlies. In August 2017, he signed a four-year contract extension with the team. On December 4, 2017, against the Detroit Pistons, he hit his 500th three-pointer as a bench player. Only Manu Ginóbili and Matt Bonner had done that for the Spurs.

On December 18, 2017, against the Los Angeles Clippers, he reached 3,000 career bench points. He joined Ginóbili and Malik Rose on that exclusive team list. Mills passed legend after legend on the Spurs' shooting charts. Against the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2018, he moved into fourth place for Spurs three-pointers. In 2019, he became the only Spur to make 120 three-pointers in five different seasons.

On January 19, 2020, Mills hit his 1,000th career three-point basket. He was the first Australian player in NBA history to reach that mark. In December 2020, he played his 600th game for San Antonio. He was the longest-tenured player on the roster. At that time, only Udonis Haslem with Miami and Stephen Curry with the Golden State Warriors had stayed longer with one team. In 2021, Mills passed Andrew Bogut for the most NBA games played by an Australian.

Brooklyn Nets Era From 2021 to 2023

Mills in the Three Point Contest during 2022 NBA All-Star Weekend

In August 2021, Mills signed with the Brooklyn Nets. In his very first game for Brooklyn, he scored 21 points against the Milwaukee Bucks. He made all seven of his three-point attempts that night. That tied an NBA record for threes made in a team debut. In his next game, he stayed perfect from downtown. He became the first player in league history to shoot 10-for-10 from three across the first two games.

On November 14, 2021, Mills scored 29 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder. He sank a career-high nine three-pointers in that victory. Later that month, he passed Andrew Bogut for the most total NBA points scored by an Australian. On December 14, he hit a game-tying shot against the Toronto Raptors to force overtime. In the famous NBA Christmas game, he scored 34 points against the Los Angeles Lakers. He hit eight three-pointers, setting a new league record for Christmas Day. In 2022, he re-signed with the Nets for two more years.

Playing for the Hawks, Heat, Jazz, and Clippers

During the summer of 2023, Mills was traded to the Houston Rockets. Then, he was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder. A few days later, he moved to the Atlanta Hawks in a trade involving TyTy Washington Jr., Usman Garuba, and Rudy Gay. Mills played 19 games for Atlanta during the season.

In March 2024, Mills joined the Miami Heat to help them in the playoffs. In September 2024, he signed a contract with the Utah Jazz. He brought veteran leadership and great shooting to Utah's young players. In February 2025, Mills was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers with Drew Eubanks. That trade reunited him with his former Spurs teammate Kawhi Leonard. It also reunited him with fellow Australian star Ben Simmons, who had played with him in Brooklyn.

European Adventures with Tenerife and ASVEL

In March 2026, Mills decided to start a new adventure in European basketball. He signed with La Laguna Tenerife in Spain's top division. The team also competed in the Basketball Champions League. He made his debut on March 17 against Pallacanestro Trieste, scoring nine points. In August 2026, Mills signed with LDLC ASVEL in France. ASVEL plays in the French LNB Élite and the prestigious EuroLeague.

Serving as College General Manager

In June 2025, Mills took on an exciting new sports leadership role. He became the general manager of the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors basketball team. The team plays for the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa in college sports. Mills works to help guide the program and support student-athletes.

International Career with the Australian Boomers

Early Tournaments and the 2008 and 2012 Olympics

Patty Mills made his debut for the Boomers in 2007. He played at the FIBA Oceania Championship. He was the third Indigenous basketball player to wear the Australian national jersey. In 2008, he played at the FIBA Diamond Ball event. He then traveled to China for the Beijing Olympics. The young guard scored over 14 points per game against the best teams in the world.

Mills played at the 2010 FIBA World Championship and the 2011 FIBA Oceania Championship. At the 2012 London Olympics, Mills was the top scorer in the whole tournament. He averaged 21.2 points per game. That was higher than superstar Kevin Durant of the United States. He returned to play in the 2013 FIBA Oceania Championship and the 2015 FIBA Oceania Championship. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Mills helped the Boomers finish in fourth place.

Historical Olympic Medal and Leadership

At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Mills carried the Australian flag at the opening event. He shared that special honour with swimmer Cate Campbell. Mills was the first Indigenous Australian to ever carry the flag at an Olympic opening ceremony. He served as the proud team captain for the Boomers in Tokyo.

In the bronze medal game, Australia faced the Slovenia national team. Mills played the game of his life, scoring 42 points. His 42 points set an Olympic record for a medal game. The Boomers won the bronze medal, their first Olympic medal in men's basketball history. Because of his amazing play, Mills made the Tokyo All-Star Five team.

Mills returned to lead Australia at the 2024 Paris Olympics. In a match against the Greece national team, Mills passed basketball legend Wlamir Marques on the scoring list. That moved him into fifth place on the all-time Olympic scoring leaderboard. Mills scored 66 points in Paris, right behind teammate Josh Giddey. By 2024, Mills had scored 567 points in his Olympic career.

Patty Mills Basketball Style and Fun Traditions

Mills is famous for his pure three-point shot and blazing speed on the court. He brings constant joy, energy, and leadership to every team he joins. He never gives up, no matter the score of the game.

During the 2010–11 season, Mills helped start a worldwide trend called the "3 Goggles". When a player makes a three-pointer, they hold three fingers around their eyes like glasses. Mills and his teammate Rudy Fernández created the celebration in Portland. It started as a joke between friends about seeing the basket clearly. Soon, players all across basketball began using the fun goggle celebration. Stores even sold special shirts featuring the gesture.

Basketball Career Numbers and Highlights

NBA Regular Season Statistics

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2009–10	Portland	10	0	3.8	.417	.500	.571	.2	.5	.0	.0	2.6
2010–11	Portland	64	0	12.2	.412	.353	.766	.8	1.7	.4	.0	5.5
2011–12	San Antonio	16	3	16.3	.485	.429	1.000	1.8	2.4	.6	.1	10.3
2012–13	San Antonio	58	2	11.3	.469	.400	.842	.9	1.1	.4	.1	5.1
2013–14	San Antonio	81	2	18.9	.464	.425	.890	2.1	1.8	.8	.1	10.2
2014–15	San Antonio	51	0	15.7	.381	.341	.825	1.5	1.7	.5	.0	6.9
2015–16	San Antonio	81	3	20.5	.425	.384	.810	2.0	2.8	.7	.1	8.5
2016–17	San Antonio	80	8	21.9	.439	.413	.825	1.8	3.5	.8	.0	9.5
2017–18	San Antonio	82*	36	25.7	.411	.372	.890	1.9	2.8	.7	.1	10.0
2018–19	San Antonio	82*	1	23.3	.425	.394	.854	2.2	3.0	.6	.1	9.9
2019–20	San Antonio	66	1	22.5	.431	.382	.866	1.6	1.8	.8	.1	11.6
2020–21	San Antonio	68	1	24.8	.412	.375	.910	1.7	2.4	.6	.0	10.8
2021–22	Brooklyn	81	48	29.0	.408	.400	.814	1.9	2.3	.6	.2	11.4
2022–23	Brooklyn	40	2	14.2	.411	.366	.833	1.1	1.4	.4	.1	6.2
2023–24	Atlanta	19	0	10.6	.373	.382	—	1.1	.7	.5	.1	2.7
	Miami	13	5	16.4	.338	.208	1.000	1.2	1.5	.8	.0	5.8
2024–25	Utah	17	0	15.3	.342	.298	1.000	1.2	1.2	.7	.2	4.4
	L.A. Clippers	12	0	5.1	.500	.500	.889	.1	.4	.1	.0	3.1
Career		921	112	19.9	.423	.385	.857	1.6	2.2	.6	.1	8.7

NBA Playoff Statistics

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2010	Portland	3	0	4.1	.500	1.000	1.000	.0	1.0	.0	.0	2.0
2011	Portland	2	0	2.6	.000	.000	—	.5	.0	.0	.0	.0
2012	San Antonio	8	0	3.9	.545	.600	—	.4	.6	.1	.0	1.9
2013	San Antonio	9	0	3.4	.500	.286	—	.3	.2	.0	.0	1.3
2014	San Antonio	23	0	15.2	.447	.405	.769	1.5	1.4	.7	.0	7.3
2015	San Antonio	7	0	16.0	.500	.571	1.000	2.7	1.1	.3	.0	10.1
2016	San Antonio	10	0	16.7	.434	.361	.636	1.4	2.0	.7	.0	6.6
2017	San Antonio	16	6	26.0	.407	.360	.864	2.1	2.7	.8	.1	10.3
2018	San Antonio	5	5	33.0	.439	.371	.800	2.0	2.6	.6	.2	13.4
2019	San Antonio	7	0	21.8	.326	.136	.600	2.1	3.6	1.0	.1	5.3
2022	Brooklyn	4	0	18.1	.563	.538	—	1.0	.0	.0	.3	6.3
2023	Brooklyn	1	0	5.3	.000	.000	—	.0	.0	.0	.0	.0
2024	Miami	3	0	17.2	.353	.273	.750	.3	1.0	.3	.0	6.0
2025	L.A. Clippers	1	0	3.7	.500	1.000	—	.0	.0	.0	.0	3.0
Career		99	11	15.9	.430	.382	.797	1.4	1.6	.5	.1	6.6

NBL Statistics

Chinese Basketball Association Statistics

American College Basketball Statistics

Patty Mills Personal Life and Inspiring Work

Mills (left) with then-teammate Chris Johnson and Portland, Oregon mayor Sam Adams in June 2011, wearing "Assist Australia" t-shirts

Patty Mills met his wife Alyssa while attending college at Saint Mary's. She was also a talented college basketball player. The couple married on July 8, 2019, in Waimea Valley on the island of Hawaii.

In 2014, Mills received the keys to his hometown of Canberra after winning the NBA title. In 2017, Mills teamed up with author Jared Thomas to write books for kids. Their book series was released in 2018 as Game Day! Championship Collection. These books encourage children to follow their dreams and work together as a team.

Mills is a big sports fan outside of basketball. He cheers for the Brisbane Broncos in the National Rugby League. He also cheers for the Queensland Maroons during the State of Origin tournament. In Australian football, he loves the Adelaide Crows.

Patty does a lot of work to help people in need. In 2011, he started a charity project named "Assist Australia". He raised money for families hurt by severe floods in Queensland during the March 2010 Queensland floods and the 2010–2011 Queensland floods. He worked with his teammate Chris Johnson and city leaders to help communities rebuild.

Mills works hard to promote fairness, equality, and kindness for all people. In 2020, he helped create the "We Got You" campaign. This effort supports athletes in Australia as they stand up against unfair treatment. Mills also gave his entire 2020 restart salary of over one million dollars to support Indigenous communities.

Mills has won many big awards for his kindness and athletic achievements:

• In 2021, he won the Sport Australia Hall of Fame 'Don Award'.
• In 2021, he was named Men's Sport Athlete of the Year at the CBR Sports Awards.
• In 2022, he represented his region for the Australian of the Year honor.
• In 2022, he became a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 2022 Australia Day Honours for his great work in basketball and community support.

See also

In Spanish: Patty Mills para niños