For 90 days get to know more about the international faces of the NBA. Day 55 brings…
Patty Mills (G, San Antonio Spurs), Australia
Height: 1.82m, 6-foot | Weight: 83.91kg, 185 pounds | Born: 11 August, 1988
They call him Patty Thrills. And for good reason.
Patty Mills joined the NBA in 2009 as the league's second Aboriginal Australian. A little on the heavier side, he mostly warmed the bench. But for the Spurs' 2013-14 season, Mills shed over 50 pounds, got into fighting shape and the thrills began.
On 8 February, Mills netted 32 points (with four three-pointers) against the Bobcats and grabbed seven rebounds and two steals in the process. By season's end, he boasted the ninth highest effective field goal percentage in the league.
Then, facing off against his former team (the Blazers) in the Playoffs, Mills came off the bench to put in 18 points, three steals and a block. And in the Finals, Mills helped bury the Heat by knocking 56.6 percent from beyond the arc, capping it off with 17 points on Game 5.
Next season, Mills' hot hand will return to service for the Spurs, and he'll be looking to go frogging with the Larry O'Brien trophy again.
Key Stats
2013-14 Season: GP: 81 | MP: 18.9 | PTS: 10.2 | REB: 2.1| AST: 1.8 | FG%: 46.4%
2014 Playoffs: GP: 23 | MP: 15.2 | PTS: 7.3 | REB: 1.5 | AST: 1.4 | FG%: 44.7%
Season Highlight: Mills posted 32 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals against the Bobcats on 8 February.
Playoffs Highlight: On 14 May, he recorded 18 points, three rebounds, two assists, three steals and one block against Portland.
Finals Highlight: Mills hit 17 points, one rebound and two assists against Miami on 15 June to win the NBA Championship. Throughout the series, he shot 56.6 percent from the three-point range.
Achievements/Awards
*NBA Champion (2014)
Five Things To Know
1. He's the second Indigenous Australian to play in the NBA (after Nathan Jawai) and the first of Torres Strait Islander descent. He's now the first indigenous Australian to win an NBA title.
2. Mills passed Andrew Bogut in points scored in a single NBA game by an Australian, 34 points and 12 assists on 26 April 2012 against the Warriors.
3. He created two successful NBA trends: Three Goggles and Frogging. He created goggles with former teammate Rudy Fernandez, where they form the "A-OK" sign with their hands and place them over their eyes whenever they make a three-pointer. Frogging is a form of posing like a frog when taking photos.
4. After becoming an NBA champion, the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly presented him with the keys to the city in Canberra. (per Canberratimes.com.au)
5. Mills has been dating girlfriend Alyssa Levesque since college where she was also a basketball player.
Check out Mills' photos and video in the LEAGUE section of NBA Game Time.
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