What nationality is Patty Mills?

Patty Mills is an Australian professional basketball player who plays as a backup option for the Miami Heat. Beginning his NBA career with the Portland Trail Blazers, Mills also played overseas in China and the Melbourne Tigers of the NBL during the NBA lockout. His best years, however, came during his time with the San Antonio Spurs, where he played an instrumental role in the team’s 2014 NBA championship run.

Throughout his career, Mills has been known for his elite shooting ability. Prior to playing professional basketball, Mills played collegiate basketball at St Mary’s College in California where he won multiple individual honors. These include the WCC Newcomer of the Year and All-WCC first team honors. After two college seasons, Mills declared for the NBA draft.

Patty Mills Ethnicity

Patty Mills has a rather diverse ethnic background. He was born and brought up in Canberra, Australia. He is of Torre Strait Island descent from his father’s side and of Aboriginal-Australian descent from his mother's side. Mills’ mother belongs to a group referred to as Stolen Generations. This shaped Mills’ understanding of his ethnic identity.

Mills comes from a family of athletes with many of his relatives playing professional basketball at the international level. Other relatives include rugby players and even an indigenous land rights activist.

Patty Mills School Career

Patty Mills started playing basketball at the tender age of four. He first attended Marist College in Canberra for high school, but later switched to Lake Ginninderra College.

In 2006, Mills was the youngest player to be selected in the 22-man extended Australian men’s national team for the FIBA World Championship.

Patty Mills NBA Career

Patty Mills was drafted with the 55th overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. During the NBA lockout, Mills also played overseas in the NBL and in China. After seeing success overseas, Mills returned to the NBA after the lockout as a part of the San Antonio Spurs.

The Spurs at this point of time were led by legends Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker and Tim Duncan. As a result, Mills molded himself into a bench player with strong shooting ability. He played a key role in the 2014 NBA Finals, where the Spurs beat the Miami Heat, led by LeBron James. In 2021, Mills joined the Brooklyn Nets with a view to impact the team in a more prominent role before joining the Heat for the 2023/24 season.