Flying 3 Flags and Seeking One Banner
The Diverse Heritage of the San Antonio Spurs’ Patty Mills
SAN ANTONIO — Benny Mills, it appears, is the type of man who is incapable of speaking without a smile, one that instantly gives his cherubic face an impish glint. His wife, Yvonne, is a more serious study, a woman who chooses her words carefully, as if they are irrevocable, and speaks them with a quiet force.
Taken together, this charming earnestness — or perhaps it is an earnest charm — is readily apparent in their son, Patty Mills, the Australian backup point guard for the San Antonio Spurs whom they prefer to call Patrick.
It is visible when he waves a towel from the bench, exhorting his teammates with a bonhomie that does not feel over the top. It is present when he dives after a loose ball, as he did Tuesday night in Miami, knocking it ahead to a teammate to kick start a fast break, because as the smallest guy on the court at 5 feet 11, what choice did he really have?
Mills is among the many examples of the team-first ethic that the Spurs are being celebrated for as they close in on an N.B.A. championship, leading the Miami Heat by three games to one entering Game 5 on Sunday night.
Mills played for Australia against Spain in a preliminary round men’s basketball game at the 2012 London Olympics.This inclusive notion, of playing for others, runs particularly deep for Mills.
His turn on basketball’s biggest stage is a source of pride for sports-mad Australians, but being the first indigenous Australian to play in the N.B.A. finals — his mother is Aboriginal and his father is a Torres Strait Islander — is immensely gratifying for him.
Mills speaks metaphorically of flying three flags: of Australia, the Aboriginals and the Torres Strait Islands, the archipelago off the northern tip of the continent. When he dressed after Game 2, he wore a tie that was adorned with the image of a dhari, the headdress that is the emblem of the Torres Strait Islanders’ flag, and a pearl s , which his grandfather used to dive for.
“My heritage and my culture and where I’m from mean the most to me, more than anything,” Mills said.
But questions of culture and heritage — namely, what does it mean to be Australian? — are complicated and deeply personal, and ones that the country continues to wrestle with as it moves slowly toward reconciliation with its indigenous people after generations of marginalization and abuse.
Coming to terms with that history is continuing.
“To be honest, I think I still am,” said Mills, who is 25. “There’s still stuff I’ve learned and that obviously surprises me, and that’s how it’s been since I was young. I learned gradually as I grew up and I understand more. I think it’s a long process. 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.”
Yvonne Mills is a member of the Stolen Generations. That term refers to the indigenous children who were removed from their families and placed with white families as part of a government- and church-sanctioned program that began in the late 1800s.
It was not outlawed in all states until 1969.
Born on the rural western edge of South Australia, Yvonne said, she was separated from her brother and three sisters, all of them older, when she was 2 ½ years old. She was placed in an ins ution before being sent to live with another family.
“I was always told she didn’t want me,” said Yvonne, who along with her siblings learned otherwise when their family’s files were released after a National Inquiry report on the separation of indigenous children from their families was issued in 1997. “I just had a few letters, but my brother had a large stack. She wrote: ‘I want my children back. Please give me my children back.’ ”
Yvonne and Benny, who have lived in the capital, Canberra, since they were married in 1982, have been deeply involved in supporting indigenous programs. Yvonne works for the capital government, developing policy and managing finances for indigenous health and education programs. Benny, who was dissuaded from becoming a pearl diver by his father, was sent to a boarding school in Cairns and has worked on federal assistance programs aimed at Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders.
‘Giving People a Go’
Benny also helped establish an indigenous basketball program called the Shadows, which provided an opportunity to play for those who could not afford a conventional club. The Shadows was as much a social program as it was about basketball, an opportunity to learn life skills and feel connected.
“Australia prides itself on giving people a go,” Benny said, using the phrase that describes opportunity. “Eighty percent of the time it’s fine, but the others aren’t able to stand on their feet, get a job and have shelter. It’s about moving out of depending on the government and giving them the capacity to do it themselves. They need role models on how to do it.”
Mills with the Spurs facing the Miami Heat during the N.B.A. finals. Some Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders are old enough to remember an era when they could not sit with whites in theaters or use public toilets. They also lacked the same access to education and health care.
That they often lived on the fringe of towns was an apt metaphor for their place in society.
“They came off missions and reserves; they didn’t always have jobs and homes to live in,” Yvonne said. “Aboriginal people have this feeling of shame, of being unequal. They’ve carried this shame all these years, and you can understand why. They don’t want to compete against a white person.”
Benny and Yvonne made sure Patty would not have any insecurity. He played for the Shadows at age 4, immersed himself in sports like track and rugby, and attended Catholic schools until he turned 15, when he was admitted to the Australian Ins ute for Sport. There were few other indigenous children, and when racism arose, it was dealt with quickly. If it was on the court, Patty would let his game do the talking. If it was with an adult, his parents stepped in.
“We had to get him to understand he was special,” Yvonne said.
Benny added: “We told him, the best thing you can do is walk away. Come and tell us and we’ll sort it out. We felt that if he knew about his background and he was confident, he’ll put things in context and not back down.”
A Turning Point
As Patty was growing up, it was a time of great change in Australia. In 1992, Eddie Mabo, a Torres Strait Islander, won a land-rights case against the government, which had dismissed indigenous land claims as being on empty land. Five years later, the National Inquiry findings were issued and the government declared National Sorry Day to commemorate the Stolen Generations, though it was not until 2008 that a prime minister formally apologized.
That served as the backdrop for the 2000 Olympics, where Cathy Freeman, an Aboriginal sprinter, lit the flame at Sydney Olympic Stadium and later delivered a signature moment of those games, winning the gold in the 400 meters and then carrying the Aboriginal flag around the track.
“That moment was — I get shivers just thinking about it,” Mills, who had just turned 12, said as he pointed to goose bumps on his forearm. “I ran track, and my pet event was the 400 meters, and I wanted to be like Cathy Freeman. The whole country was on Cathy’s back during that race. Everyone was clued in during that race seeing her cross the line and how she handled herself, not only on the track, but before and after, because she had so much pressure.”
Mills would like to serve as a similar inspiration.
There is a do entary in the works on Mills, which will focus less on him as a basketball player (he was the leading scorer at the 2012 Olympics) than on his indigenous roots. Some of the film, led “For My People,” was shot on Thursday Island, where his father still has relatives. He often listens to the islands’ ukulele-strained music.
“Patty embraces being a role model,” said his Spurs teammate Aron Baynes, from Queensland. “A lot of indigenous youth are fighting to get through, so if they can have somebody they can look up to, that’s a great thing.”
In the United States, Mills, who scored 14 points off the bench in Game 4, is more of a curiosity. He is often assumed to be African-American until he opens his mouth. Even his teammates are getting to know more about him. On June 3, San Antonio Coach Gregg Popovich made a point at a team meeting of acknowledging Eddie Mabo Day. Popovich explained to the team why the holiday is so significant in Australian history and why it means so much to Mills.
It is the type of inclusive gesture the Spurs make a habit in their multicultural locker room. It was charming. It was earnest. And it explains why Mills feels so much at home.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/15/sp...er=rss&emc=rss
I work with a similar basketball program to the Shadows in Southern New South Wales, words cannot describe how much of an inspiration Patty is to the children and adults alike that I work with.
Every bit of success that he achieves in his career will not be reward enough for the amount he gives. Not that that would ever bother Patty.
Nice read
No team has the quality of character like the Spurs. Patty brings so much to the table.
Patty ing Mills
Proud to be Australian.
Hoping another team doesn't throw big cash at him. Really want him to remain a Spur.
Very good read. Been rooting for Patty since he came to San Antonio, but even more fervently as I've gotten to know more about him.
In 2007 I remember Manu and Tony both carrying around the Argentinian and French flags during celebrations.... this year's celebrations are going to look like the opening ceremony of the olympics!
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<------- This moment, was the highlight of my Spurs trip in April.
Remember last season he didn't play much but he gave a lot of energy and support for the guys on the floor even he was on the bench.
I'm so happy for him this season he is the part of the play on the floor and plays great.
His character and will make Pop to give some minutes for him and he gained trust from Pop.
Nobody is talking about Neal this season. That's because Patty's amazing energy from bench, scoring and smart plays.
Hope he will stay with us for long years.
What an incredibly moving, heartwarming piece. I nearly teared up when I read the last paragraph. Thanks for sharing.
patty uses tbh, tbh
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