My heritage and my culture and where I'm from mean the most to me, more than anything,.Patty Mills
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As a proud Indigenous man I have a lot of things that are symbolic and have a lot of meaning to me.Patty Mills
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It's a competitive fire underneath me that welcomes the spotlight, welcomes those big moments.Patty Mills
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There's a part of me that's very stereotypically Australian, with the lingo, or for lack of a better way of putting it, the way white Australians would speak. And then, Oh, that's not all I am.Patty Mills
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It's good to be taken out of your comfort zone - it's part of the NBA grind - a challenge I'm ready for.Patty Mills
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I want to keep educating the world on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture. It's who I am. It's what I know - even more than basketball. To be able to promote it or educate it or teach it in a way, whether it's through cultural centers or dancing or art or anything like that, I think is what I would want to do.Patty Mills
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Coming off a pretty significant injury for me with my shooting shoulder, I learned a lot about my character.Patty Mills
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I feel like I've experienced a lot to learn my own game but also to be able to help others as well.Patty Mills
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I've grown a lot in my time in San Antonio, both on and off the court, and probably off the court most importantly.Patty Mills
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Our vision is to make a tangible difference at the intersection of those values and people's lives, shining light on critical issues as well as providing opportunities and pathways of success to empower and unlock people's tremendous potential.Patty Mills
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To be honest, I think NBA experience and years trumps everything else. It's unfortunate but when you come from somewhere else it's known that you don't have NBA experience and the NBA is so different to everywhere else so in that sense you need those years.Patty Mills
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Being a leader of the Boomers team is something that I've felt responsible for and being able to learn from the amount of guys that I've been able to - not only on the Boomers in my early days, but also over here in the NBA.Patty Mills
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When something happens - good, bad or ugly - you find a way to be able to do your part for your community. How do you better the lives of Indigenous people, how do you give back to the land, how do you stay connected? All of this is the same question.Patty Mills
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Having the trust and respect from your teammate is where it starts and that is getting to know guys off the court, even before basketball.Patty Mills
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I had a roommate who refused to believe that there were black people from Australia and that I just had this accent. I got frustrated. I'm saying, 'mate, you've never heard of Aboriginals?' And he definitely never heard of the Torres Strait Islands.Patty Mills
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Learning about our past is definitely important, not only for Australians but people around the world. It's something that Australia should never be ashamed of. It's part of our history. It's part of us.Patty Mills
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I realize how rare it is for someone like me to reach this level. So I'm using my stature in basketball to help other people. I'm more than happy to do it.Patty Mills
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People ask when I was younger in the league who my favourite player was to play against and it was Steve Nash. It wasn't necessarily that I was guarding him or he was guarding me it was more so getting to see up close and personal how he plays and how he approached the game. That was very exciting for me.Patty Mills
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It's never going to be a smooth sailing ship, there's going to be ups and downs and I think one of the most important things to understand is not to ride the highs too high and ride the lows too low - it is a marathon and if you can just try to steady the ship as you go.Patty Mills
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I want to help educate. I want to show how you can stand strong without anger. Taking the high road.Patty Mills
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I am ecstatic and filled with immense pride to have the world's most renowned professional basketball league join forces with IBA - the work we are going to do together will make a real impact to the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youths.Patty Mills
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When fans say 'Bala,' that's cultural awareness to me. I hope I've helped open up their world a little.Patty Mills
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A lot of my teammates in the NBA call me Little Patty anyway as they are about two feet taller than me.Patty Mills
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You have games when you miss shots and when you make shots. But knowing you're here for a reason and you're an NBA basketballer helps.Patty Mills
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You have to be able to reach for the moon. You have to be able to have those sort of goals.Patty Mills
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My connections and roots to this land of Australia - the sea, the reefs, the sky, the stars - come from a time and place that existed long before basketball was invented, and definitely long before the Boomers program was created.Patty Mills
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Just try to make an impact on the game somehow whether it is on the defensive or offensive end. I think that has always been something that I have hung my hat on especially offensively. If it is not the night, then go make a play defensively and get after, dive for loose balls, create a charge, make an impact that way.Patty Mills
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It's hard to guard when you have two point guards on the floor because you don't know who to pick up.Patty Mills
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I appear African-American, so it's not until I start talking that people go, 'Hold on, there's something not right here.' But it's an awesome conversation starter. I open my mouth, they get curious, and I say, 'Got a few minutes? Have a seat.'Patty Mills
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There's no running water in a remote Aboriginal community? I can do something about that, let's go do it. I've been brought up that way. So political activism, is it that? I don't know, because that's not what makes me go, 'yeah let's do this now.'Patty Mills
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I'll always say this: my name is Patrick Mills, I'm a Kokatha man from South Australia, and I'm a Naghiralgal and Dauareb-Meriam man of the Torres Strait Islands.Patty Mills
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I think an all-around type of mentality is the thing that I have tried to have always. I am not too happy with myself when I start to float around and just be out there.Patty Mills
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People talk about the Spurs and how we do a decent job at playing basketball. But there is a deeper meaning to who we are, where we come from, and at the same time, why we play basketball.Patty Mills
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Australia is a great country. America is a great country. We all have issues and different aspects.Patty Mills
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It's about finding the chemistry on the court and where you can get to your spots and where you can find open ones.Patty Mills
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My motivation for helping is that I come from a culture that isn't given a lot of opportunity.Patty Mills
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Now that I get a chance on the big stage, it's even more important to remember where I came from.Patty Mills
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Things are bigger than basketball. The Spurs are great at helping you know that you're not just at the gym every day to throw a ball around, but you're here to represent.Patty Mills
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I've got to bring it every night and earn the right and trust from my coach and teammates to be able to make an impact on the game.Patty Mills
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It's one of those things, as a team sport there are always things you try to find to come together and bond.Patty Mills
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I ran track, and my pet event was the 400 meters, and I wanted to be like Cathy Freeman.Patty Mills
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If you take control of yourself and you make the right cut or the right screen, then something good will come out of it.Patty Mills
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Being Australian is a lot more than saying 'g'day mate' and 'throw a shrimp on the Barbie.'Patty Mills
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Basketball as a sport has brought me happiness, joy, education and a real sense of purpose.Patty Mills
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That's an exciting feeling to know when you walk in the gym, or in the weight room, it's for a championship.Patty Mills
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