Patty Mills adds another milestone to his glittering career by bringing up 1,000 NBA games, becoming the first Australian baller to reach that mark.
The one-time NBA champion hit quadruple figures Sunday night, January 5th in the US, as his Utah won on the road, beating Orlando Magic 105-92. Mills didn’t trouble the scorers but collected two rebounds and one assist in 19 minutes off the bench. Those 1,000 career appearances include 902 regular season games, and 98 in the playoffs.
The veteran point guard, now 36, is in the twilight of his NBA career, one that began back in 2010 with an inauspicious two-year stint with Portland Trailblazers, where he became a fan favourite not for his hustle or shooting skills, but for his towel waving exploits from the sidelines.
A move to Gregg Popovich’s San Antonio Spurs paved the way for a glorious run, which included a championship (and would have yielded a second, were it not for Ray Allen’s three-point dagger in the 2013 Finals series) and multiple seasons averaging double-digit points – a reliable metric for “star” status in the Association.
15 years, one day and 1000 appearances since @Patty_Mills first stepped onto an NBA court. (That includes 902 regular season games and 98 in the playoffs)
He’s the first Australian to reach the 1000 games mark and one of the best to ever do it.
Good on ya Patty!… pic.twitter.com/QLcvoH7t9F
— NBA Australia (@NBA_AU) January 6, 2025
Mills has made a habit of going where no Aussie baller has. On January 19th, 2020, he nailed his 1,000th NBA three-pointer, becoming the first Australian player to do so.
At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Mills became the first Indigenous Australian to be a flag bearer when he carried the Australian flag alongside swimmer Cate Campbell at the opening ceremony. And as co-captain with Joe Ingles, he led the Boomers to a first-ever Olympics medal, collecting bronze – pouring in 42 points in the deciding game against Slovenia.
Last year, Mills earned entry into FIBA’s all-time Boomers starting 5, a guard-heavy squad that also featured Andrew Gaze, Shane Heal, Eddie Palubinskas and Andrew Bogut. Mills is the only active professional athlete on that dream team.
At the 2024 Olympics, Mills had “one of his greatest performances in the Boomers jersey” in a quarter-finals loss to Serbia, reads a statement from FIBA, by scoring 26 points and hitting a clutch jumper near the free-throw line to force overtime.
Mills, after the Paris Olympics, is the fifth all-time leading scorer in Olympic history with 567 points. He’s one of a record 13 Aussies who locked-up roster spots on the opening night of the 2024-25 NBA season.
In 2022, Mills was appointed as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the Australia Day Honours, recognition for his “significant service to basketball”, and to “charitable initiatives to the Indigenous community”.
