Patrick (Patty) Mills AM

Basketball player and Indigenous rights advocate

2022 ACT Australian of the Year

Since leaving Canberra for the US in 2007 on a sporting scholarship, Patrick (Patty) Mills has had a legendary basketball career. He became an NBA Champion in 2014 with the San Antonio Spurs, and recently competed in his fourth Olympics, leading the Boomers to their first-ever podium finish in Tokyo. Creating history, Patty was the first Indigenous Australian Olympics flag bearer.

Off the court, Patty uses his platform to inspire, support and enact positive change. Patty is the founder of the Team Mills Foundation – an organisation dedicated to supporting and championing culture, diversity and underprivileged families.

Using the power of sport to create pathways and opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth, he launched Indigenous Basketball Australia, whose programs, competitions and inspirational and motivational sessions are a national first.

In 2020, Patty donated his $1.5 million salary to organisations tackling racial inequality. 

A proud Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australian, Patty is inspiring the next generation to own their story.