Patty Mills Bio
Patrick Sammie Mills AM is an Australian professional basketball player whose career has spanned the National Basketball Association (NBA), Australia’s National Basketball League (NBL), China’s top league, and several international competitions. Born in Canberra and proud of his Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal Australian heritage, Mills is widely respected for his leadership, three-point shooting, and his impact on the global game. He is also a Member of the Order of Australia and serves as the general manager of the University of Hawaii basketball program.
Early Life and Background
Early Life and Background
Patrick Sammie Mills was born on 11 August 1988 in Canberra, the capital city of Australia. His father, Benny Mills, is a Torres Strait Islander man with roots in Muralag, while his mother, Yvonne Mills, is of Aboriginal Australian (Kokatha) descent. As part of the Stolen Generations, Yvonne and her four siblings were taken from their parents by the Australian state following her parents’ separation in 1949. Mills has described learning about his mother’s past as a turning point in his understanding of his Indigenous Australian identity.
He began playing basketball as a four-year-old for a local Indigenous club his parents founded called “The Shadows.” Growing up, he worked as a ball boy for the Canberra Cannons of the NBL, where his future college coach, David Patrick, played for the Cannons and developed a close relationship with the Mills family. His great-uncle is Indigenous land rights activist Eddie Mabo, and his uncle is former Olympian Danny Morseu, the second Indigenous Australian to play Olympic basketball. Mills is also a cousin of rugby league player Edrick Lee and fellow basketball player Nathan Jawai.
Mills initially attended Canberra’s Marist College before moving on to the Australian Institute of Sport between 2005 and 2007 and Lake Ginninderra College. In addition to basketball, he played underage Australian rules football at a high level and even attracted interest from Australian Football League (AFL) clubs, but chose to focus on basketball.
Path to Basketball
Path to Basketball
Mills rose quickly through Australia’s junior ranks. In January 2006, he was awarded the prestigious RE Staunton Medal at the U20 Nationals in Perth, and he was the youngest athlete selected in the 22-man extended Australian Boomers squad ahead of the 2006 FIBA World Championship. That same year, he was named Australia’s U21 Youth Player of the Year after averaging 18.1 points and 3.9 rebounds per game in the South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL) with the AIS men’s team.
He earned additional recognition in 2006 as the Junior Male Player of the Year at the Basketball Australia Junior Awards, the “most promising new sports talent” at the Deadlys Awards honoring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander achievement, and the NAIDOC National Sportsperson of the Year. Mills also made his senior national team debut in 2007 at the FIBA Oceania Championship, becoming only the third Indigenous basketball player to represent Australia behind Michael Ah Matt and his uncle Danny Morseu.
In November 2006, Mills signed to play college basketball at Saint Mary’s College of California, joining fellow Australians Lucas Walker and Carlin Hughes. As a freshman in 2007–08, he was named the West Coast Conference (WCC) Newcomer of the Year and earned All-WCC First Team honors, starting all 32 games and setting a Saint Mary’s freshman scoring record with 472 points. As a sophomore in 2008–09, he averaged 18.4 points and was again named All-WCC First Team before declaring for the 2009 NBA draft.
Patty Mills Career
Early Career (2009–2011)
On 25 June 2009, Mills was selected with the 55th overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft by the Portland Trail Blazers, becoming the first Saint Mary’s player drafted since 1983 and the highest pick from the school since 1961. After a foot fracture delayed his Summer League debut, he signed his rookie contract in October 2009 and split his first season between the Trail Blazers and their NBA Development League affiliate, the Idaho Stampede. He made his NBA debut on 4 January 2010 and appeared in 10 games as a rookie, scoring a season-high 11 points in Portland’s regular-season finale against the Golden State Warriors.
In his second season (2010–11), Mills played 64 games for the Trail Blazers, averaging 5.5 points and 1.7 assists in 12.2 minutes. He scored in double figures 10 times and posted a then career-best 23 points in the regular-season finale against Golden State. He also appeared in two playoff games for Portland.
San Antonio Spurs Breakthrough (2012–2021)
After playing briefly in Australia’s NBL and China during the 2011 NBA lockout, Mills signed with the San Antonio Spurs on 27 March 2012. He quickly made an impact, setting career highs with 34 points and 12 assists against the Golden State Warriors on 26 April 2012, recording the highest single-game scoring performance by an Australian in the NBA at the time. He helped the Spurs reach the 2013 NBA Finals, where they lost in seven games to the Miami Heat, and then played a key role on the Spurs’ 2014 NBA championship team, scoring 17 points off the bench in the series-clinching Game 5 win over Miami.
Over the next several seasons, Mills became one of the league’s most reliable reserve shooters. In March 2019, he became the only Spurs player to make more than 120 three-pointers in five different seasons, and on 19 January 2020, he became the first Australian in NBA history to reach 1,000 career three-pointers. He signed a four-year, $50 million contract in August 2017 and finished his Spurs career as the franchise’s longest-tenured player and a member of the 2014 championship squad.
Brooklyn Nets Era (2021–2023)
Mills signed with the Brooklyn Nets on 10 August 2021 and made an immediate impact, scoring 21 points on 7-of-7 three-point shooting in his debut against the Milwaukee Bucks, tying the league record for most threes in a debut with a new team. On 22 October 2021, he became the first player in NBA history to shoot a perfect 10-of-10 from three-point range in the first two games of a season. He scored 29 points on a career-high nine three-pointers in a win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on 14 November 2021, and on 14 December 2021, he scored 30 points in an overtime win over the Toronto Raptors, including the game-tying three-pointer at the end of regulation. He re-signed with the Nets on a two-year, $14.5 million deal in July 2022.
Atlanta Hawks, Miami Heat, Utah Jazz, and Los Angeles Clippers (2023–2025)
In July 2023, Mills was part of an offseason sequence of three trades that ultimately sent him from the Brooklyn Nets to the Houston Rockets, then to the Oklahoma City Thunder, and finally to the Atlanta Hawks. He was waived by the Hawks on 29 February 2024, signed with the Miami Heat on 6 March 2024, and joined the Utah Jazz on 5 September 2024. On 1 February 2025, Mills was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers alongside Drew Eubanks in a deal that also reunited him with former teammates Kawhi Leonard and Ben Simmons.
Driving Style and Strengths
Mills is widely known for his elite three-point shooting, quick release, and high basketball IQ. He is a respected leader in every locker room he joins, valued for his commitment to team culture and his ability to perform in high-pressure moments. His reputation as a clutch shooter has earned him the nickname “FIBA Patty” for his standout performances on the international stage.
Notable Events and Milestones
Beyond his 2014 NBA championship, Mills led the Australian Boomers to their first-ever Olympic medal at the 2020 Tokyo Games, scoring 42 points in the bronze medal game win over Slovenia, an Olympic record for points in a medal round contest. His 567 career Olympic points place him among the top scorers in Olympic basketball history, and he became the first Indigenous Australian flag bearer at an Olympic opening ceremony in Tokyo.
Patty Mills Career Wins
Across more than 15 professional seasons, Mills has collected an NBA championship with the San Antonio Spurs, three Gaze Medals as one of Australia’s top basketball players, and recognition as the first Indigenous Australian to play for the Boomers since 1980. He also won The Don Award in 2021, honoring him as Australia’s most inspirational sportsperson, and had his No. 13 jersey retired by the Saint Mary’s Gaels.
NBA Highlights
Mills captured his lone NBA title as a key reserve for the 2014 San Antonio Spurs, helping the franchise defeat the Miami Heat in five games. He surpassed Andrew Bogut to become the all-time leading Australian scorer in NBA history, and he reached 1,000 career three-pointers in January 2020, the first Australian to do so. He also set NBA records for most three-pointers made in a debut with a new team (seven) and most three-pointers made in a Christmas Day game (eight in 2021).
Other Wins and Performances
In Australia’s NBL, Mills averaged 18.6 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 5.0 assists in nine games for the Melbourne Tigers during the 2011 lockout. In China’s CBA, he averaged 26.5 points in 12 games for the Xinjiang Flying Tigers. At Saint Mary’s, he was a two-time First-Team All-WCC selection and the 2008 WCC Newcomer of the Year, helping the Gaels reach a top-25 national ranking.
Patty Mills Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Mills comes from a deeply rooted Indigenous Australian family. His father Benny is a Torres Strait Islander (Muralag), and his mother Yvonne is of Aboriginal Australian (Kokatha) descent. His great-uncle is the late Eddie Mabo, a renowned Indigenous land rights activist, and his uncle is former Australian Olympian Danny Morseu. He is also a cousin of NRL player Edrick Lee and basketball player Nathan Jawai.
Personal Life
Mills met his wife, Alyssa Mills (née Levesque), while both were playing college basketball at Saint Mary’s College of California. The couple married on 8 July 2019 in Waimea Valley, Hawaii. Mills is an avid rugby league fan who supports the Brisbane Broncos and the Queensland Maroons in State of Origin, as well as the Adelaide Crows in the AFL. In 2017, he co-wrote a children’s book series, Game Day! Championship Collection, with Jared Thomas, published in 2018.
2025 Season Performance
Patty Mills entered the 2025 season with the Utah Jazz before being traded to the Los Angeles Clippers on 1 February 2025 in a multi-player deal. The move reunited him with former Spurs teammate Kawhi Leonard and former Nets teammate Ben Simmons, adding veteran leadership and outside shooting to a Clippers squad pushing for a deep playoff run. Mills continued to serve as a steady veteran presence off the bench, providing three-point shooting and locker room guidance.
On 10 June 2025, Mills was also hired as the general manager of the University of Hawaii Rainbow Warriors basketball program, adding a front-office role to his on-court career. The 2025 season also marked the final year of his long NBA tenure as he transitioned into executive work while still suiting up for the Clippers.
Looking ahead, Mills’ combination of NBA experience, international pedigree, and Indigenous Australian leadership ensures he will remain a significant figure in global basketball, both on the floor and in the front office.
