Patty Mills is a phenomenal player who seems to be defying age with his peak athleticism and agility on the court. Mills was a gifted junior athlete who took his talents to the United States to test his abilities in College Basketball. Playing two seasons of College ball for Saint Mary’s, Pat averaged 16 points, 3.7 assists and two steals per game.
Despite playing for Saint Mary’s, an NCAA Division One program that wasn’t a highly popular institute, Pat was getting noticed by experts, some of whom believed in his abilities. He got selected by the Portland Trail Blazers late in the second round and it felt like a blessing for him since he became the first Saint Mary’s player to get drafted by the NBA since 1983.
Although most Basketball fans recognize Patty Mills for his memorable stint with the San Antonio Spurs, dedicated Basketball enthusiasts have kept up with Pat’s national team career too.
Patty Mills’ National Team
Patty Mills plays for the Australian National team. Pat grew up admiring two sports; Basketball and Australian football. Though he had decent skills and an interest in the sport of football, Patty made the ultimate decision to pursue his athletic interests via Basketball.
Pat made his first impact in international basketball as part of Australia’s Junior National team that beat New Zealand to qualify for the 2007 Junior Men’s World Championships.
Seeing Pat’s impressive performance in the now defunct South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL), he was chosen as the youngest member of Australia Boomers’ (Australian Men’s National Team) for the 2006 FIBA World Cup in which team Australia finished at 13th place.
Realizing Pat’s emerging potential, he was named 2006 junior player of the Year at the Junior Basketball Awards and “most promising young talent” at the 2006 Deadlys Awards.
Pat’s potential and early development as a promising Point guard earned him a spot in the FIBA Oceania Championship. Continuing this trend, he made the 2008 Australian Olympic team. Being 19 years old, Pat was one of the youngest members on the squad but played all six games like an absolute Pro, averaging 14.2 points, two assists, and 1.7 steals per game.
Since 2008, Pat has been a top-tier consistent player for Australia. In total six international competitions that include four Olympics and two FIBA World Cup tournaments, Patty Mills has averaged 19.6 points, 2.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.1 steals per game.
Mills is highly instrumental in pushing Team Australia to secure the fourth spot at the 2016 Olympics, and the 2019 FIBA World Cup.
Fun Fact: Patty Mills ranks 19th on the Historical FIBA World Cup Averages list and 24th on the scorers' list. The list data ranges from 1994-1995 through to the current time.
FAQs
A. Pat's full name is Patrick Sammie Mills AM.
A. AM is the Order of Australia. It recognizes Australian citizens and other people for their achievements and service.
A. Pat earns an average annual salary of $6.6 Million.
A. Pat has a true shooting percentage of 56.4 in his career.
