It's the late nineties in Canberra in the middle of winter.
A crowd of people are packed into a suburban basketball stadium. Parents and family members look on as kids run up and down the court. It's a typical game of junior sport with varying skill levels, but one kid is clearly a standout player. It may only be under tens, but he's dominating the free throw lane on offense and defense. This kid towers above the rest and he's almost executing
plays like a pro. As he scoops the ball up on the defensive rebound, he immediately throws a killer pass down the court to a waiting teammate for.
The easy layout.
If you played any team sport as a youngster, you probably knew a kid like this. There was always one right now. Not all of them are lucky enough to actually make it as a pro. But the kid I'm talking about here is Patty Mills, and the junior team he played for, the Shadows, was instrumental in turning Patty from promising young talent to NBA staff.
Hey, welcome to the Boolroom, where.
We celebrate the winners, losers, and the weird stuff between.
I'm Tony Armstrong.
It's probably no surprise that Patrick Mills made it to the NBA, considering he was shooting hoops with his grandfather from two years old and playing organized basketball by.
The age of four.
Sure, his skills were still developing at that point, but he was just happy to be out there.
You couldn't wipe the smile off his face.
Growing up, Paddi loved team sports, including soccer and Ozzie Rules, but basketball played a special role.
In his upbringing.
In the eighties, Patty's parents met in Canberra, where they were working government jobs. It could be a tough place for blackfellows, so the couple wanted a way to build community. They landed on creating a basketball club, but.
It was much more than that.
It was a social club, a place for Aboriginal and torrest Rate Islander people to come together. They named the basketball team the Shadows, and it became the heartbeat of the community. By the time Patti Mills was born in nineteen eighty eight, the Shadows had expanded to become a truly multicultural club.
They welcomed people.
From diverse backgrounds, providing opportunities for kids to play sport in an inclusive environment. It gave their families a place where they could belong.
Basketball was the vehicle to enrich people's lives.
It was this environment that Paddy grew up in, helping to shape the player and the person he'd become. From around seven years old, Paddy started to dominate the court. His Shadows team won their competition season after season. They also played in junior tournaments around Australia. Then, when Paddy was a teenager, he had a decision to make continue
with basketball or pursue as he rules. His dilemma was made a little easier when the Australian Institute of Sport came knocking and he was offered the chance to play hoops at a high level.
Paddy joined the AIS at fifteen.
He was awarded the captaincy for Australia's on the nineteen squad, before becoming the youngest player ever to represent the Boomers at just eighteen years old, playing in the two thousand and six World Championships.
From there, it wasn't long before.
Talent scouts from US colleges identified Paddy as a top prospect. He was accepted into Saint Mary's College to play basketball, and announced his arrival by breaking records most points in a single game and most points in a.
Season for a freshman.
Paddy spent two years at Saint Mary's before entering the NBA draft. If you'd told young Paddy that one day he'd be in this position, he probably wouldn't have believed it. But in two thousand and nine he realized his childhood dream when he was drafted by the Portland Trailblazers. The next couple of years didn't exactly go to plan, but Paddy remained determined on the fringes of the starting lineup. Playing for Portland's development team was his only chance at
regular basketball. Then another curveball, the NBA lockout of twenty eleven.
Pay negotiations had stored and.
The league was suspended for six months, so Paddy headed home, suiting up for.
The Melbourne Tigers in the NBL.
A stint playing in China followed before Patty had it back to the States. In twenty twelve, the San Antonio Spurs recruited Patty Mills on the advice of his former Boomers coach. Paddy settled in quickly. The team culture on the Spurs head coach Greg Popovich was exactly what Paddy needed.
To reach his full potential.
Just like his childhood team, the Shadows, San Antonio was a welcoming place and the majority of the roster was made up of players from outside the United States. In twenty fourteen, San Antonio won the NBA Championship, defeating Miami four games to one in the finals. While they didn't have the same star power that he did, they were a true team with a deep roster. Everyone had a role to play, including our Paddy. Paddy Mills became the first blackfellow to play in and win the NBA Finals.
He since gone on to represent the Brooklyn Nets and Atlanta Hawks, but he maintains a strong connection to home. In twenty fifteen, Paddy became the NBL's first official ambassador. Then in twenty twenty, along with his parents, he established Indigenous Basketball Australia. The nonprofit organization supports young Aboriginal and tourist raid is under people in realizing their dreams both
on and off the corps. The IBA has since formed important partnerships and created new initiatives like an annual community basketball league. Just like his parents before him, Paddy Mills is continuing to bring people together and provide opportunities through.
The power of sport. These days, the.
Shadows Basketball Club no longer exists, but its spirit lives on through an all new team. The Wenunga Warriors Basketball Club, was formed in twenty fourteen by former Australian of the Year Dion de Vo and it's following in the footsteps of the Mills family. Maybe one day they'll produce another NBA star. You're a champion, Patty in more ways than one.
The Ballroom is an iHeart production. Thanks so much for listening.
I'm Tony Armstrong and I'll catch you in the next episode.