SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Before the San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Clippers tipped off Sunday night -- the eve of Martin Luther King Jr. Day -- guard Patty Mills addressed Spurs fans.
“As a member of the Spurs organization, we are honored and proud to celebrate the legacy of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in hopes that we can continue to educate about the past and we can all move forward together as one,” Mills said.
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The message comes on the heels of the Spurs’ team visit to the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee, a trip coordinated around their road matchup with the Grizzlies in early January. There, Mills got a chance to learn more about the civil rights movement, something he wished to share with the rest of the San Antonio community.
“I really appreciate [the messages of the civil rights movements and Martin Luther King Jr.] a lot more, and I respect and honor all that has been done,” Mills said. “For me to be able to relate those things that have happened in this country, to the problems and the issues and the significant events that have happened in Australia, I think is important. For me to be able to educate people living in America about who I am and what has happened is important. By me speaking last night — by me continuing to speak up about the issues in Australia — I do believe it can create change. But there is a lot of work that needs to be done."
During his 10-year professional basketball career, Mills has already reached the ultimate goal, winning an NBA title with the Spurs in 2014. He’s turned into an invaluable member of the Spurs organization, acting as one of the team’s leaders on and off the court. But despite his success in the NBA, the current political reality of Australia weighs heavily on his mind.
“There’s a time in Australia right now which is embarrassing, especially for me being here in America pursuing my dreams,” Mills explained. “It is a growing division because of Jan. 26, 1788, which is known as the European settlement in Australia.”
The effects of the European settlement and the resulting displacement and persecution of the indigenous peoples of Australia are still being felt today. Mills learned about Australia’s tragic past from his parents. His father, Benny, is an indigenous Torres Strait islander, and his mother, Yvonne, is an indigenous Australian. Now, Mills has made it part of his life’s work to help heal those cultural wounds -- even if he is on the other side of the globe.
“For me to be in America and -- not feel helpless -- but feel like I’m so far away from really being able to make an impact … it doesn’t mean I’m not going to try,” Mills explained. “I’m going to do my best to make sure that all Australians can come together as one to be able to celebrate our country.”
The Spurs have provided the perfect platform for Mills, with a melting pot of international cultures on rosters past and present, and a head coach who has always preached that the game of basketball is just that: a game.
“When I walk away from here, that’s going to be the biggest thing that I’ve learned,” Mills said. “Basketball almost always came second. We were able to open our horizons because of Coach Pop and this organization to the things that really matter globally.”