Patty Mills
Prior to joining the Spurs this season, Patty Mills worked hard to recover from a hamstring injury he suffered while playing in China. Here’s a look at some of the work her put in with ASTI training before he joined the Spurs.
Category : Blog
Patty Mills does not remember when he first heard the story of his mother’s kidnapping. He does not remember when he learned about the government that snatched her from her family at age 2, or the welfare officer who checked her for lice, or the school that forced her to take intelligence tests — all because her skin was dark.
All he remembers is that when people talked about The Stolen Generation in Australia, he didn’t need a textbook or a teacher to explain the horrifying details. He had a mother at home who not only lived through it but devoted her life to improving the lives of Aboriginals like her.
“I’m very proud of my mother,” Mills was saying after a recent Spurs practice. “Just the way you see her helping others is very warming.”
The story of Yvonne Mills — Patty’s mother — is one of heartbreak and heroism, one that shaped and inspired her son and propelled him to the NBA as only the second player in league history of Aboriginal descent.
Yvonne and her husband Benny Mills are Indigenous Australians, whose ancestors were original inhabitants of the continent. Indigenous peoples represent less than three percent of the population. Their health is poorer, their incomes lower, their life expectancies shorter. They are less educated and face more discrimination.
To understand the historical attitude toward Indigenous Australians, consider the official census. Aboriginals were not counted until 1971. The Torres Strait Islanders — just north of the mainland — weren’t counted until then, either. Benny, Patty’s father, is a Torres Strait Islander.
Benny and Yvonne met while working for the government to improve conditions for Indigenous Australians. They married and started a basketball club — “Shadows” — for Indigenous peoples. Their only child began playing for Shadows at age 4. Young Patty grew up with Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders at the club, and with non-Indigenous youth at school. His cultural experiences and ancestral roots make Patty Mills like no other Spur in history.
“I’m still learning how important and special my family really is,” he says.
Category : Blog
SAN ANTONIO (March 23, 2012) – The San Antonio Spurs today announced that they have signed guard Patrick Mills. Per club policy details of the contract were not released.
Mills, a 6-0, 185-pound product out of St. Mary’s (CA), was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers with the 55th overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. In two seasons with the Blazers, Mills appeared in 74 games, averaging 5.1 points and 1.5 assists in 11.1 minutes. He has a career-mark of .358 (47-133) from three-point range.
A native of Australia, Mills has spent the 2011-12 season playing overseas in his home country and China. Most recently, Mills played for the Xinjian Flying Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association. In 12 games, he averaged 26.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists. Prior to making the move to China, Mills played in nine games with the Melbourne Tigers, averaging 18.6 points, 5.0 assists and 2.3 rebounds.
Mills is a member of the Australian National Team which qualified for the 2012 Olympics.
Mills will wear No. 8 for the Spurs and is expected to be in uniform tonight when the Silver and Black take on the Suns in Phoenix at 9 p.m.
Category : Blog
Patrick Mills, the former Portland Trail Blazer who last played in China during the NBA lockout, has signed a contract with the Spurs and could join the team within the week, pending the resolution of work visa issues.
Mills, an Australian national who could be in line for immediate minutes backing up Tony Parker, is eager to resume his NBA career, his agent said.
“It shouldn’t be too much longer,” agent Aaron Goodwin told the Express-News. “There is a deal in principle. He just has to get a visa.”
Mills, 23, averaged 5.1 points and 1.5 assists in limited minutes during his first two NBA seasons in Portland. He is also a member of the Australian national basketball team coached by Spurs assistant Brett Brown.
Category : Blog
Along with his friends at Wears My Shirt, Patty Mills co-created a series of basketball-inspired tee shirts to assist victims of the 2011 natural disasters in Australia. The designs reflect the various college and professional teams of which he’s been a part, and incorporate images from his home in Australia. They have been selling online and in select retail locations since early 2011.
Mills said, “The (late 2010 and early 2011) disasters that took place in my homeland have weighed heavy on my heart and I want to do all I can to help. My goal is to raise at least $50,000 USD for relief efforts.”
So far Mills has raised $40,000 from sales of his Australia Assist T-Shirts and will present a check for that amount to the PREMIER’S DISASTER RELIEF APPEAL just prior to this Friday’s NBL game between the Melbourne Tigers & the Perth Wildcats.
In order to reach his ultimate goal, another design has just been created and is available for sale at WearsMyShirt.com. The new design, named “AMBUSH ARMY,” is available in adult and youth sizes for $25 USD and has a photo contest associated with it where the winner will win a signed Patty Mills game jersey, shorts and shoes!
“This campaign has been made possible because Patty cares deeply about helping people in his homeland,” said Josh Unruh, Founder and President of Wears My Shirt, the company that co-created and promoted Patty’s “Assist Australia” campaign. “It’s great when you see celebrities do even more for charities than just write a cheque and walk away. Patty has proven how effective it is to motivate and inspire people around the world to engage with a cause he cares about,” said Unruh.
About Wears My Shirt
Wears My Shirt helps charities raise awareness for their cause through online communities and t-shirts. Anyone can visit www.wearsmyshirt.com, “FOLLOW” a charity and buy a t-shirt to support their partner charities.
About Patty Mills
Patty Mills is the first indigenous Australian to ever play professional basketball in the United States, and current plays the point guard position for the Portland Trailblazers. He is also one of the youngest people to play for the Australian national basketball team.
Category : Blog
