After a series of playoff campaigns, mainly at Spurs, Patty Mills knows that having won Utah this summer, collective ambition will be less. “ There's no secret the young boys on this team are going to be a big focal point. My role is to get the best out of them “, displays the 2014 NBA champion.
To fulfill this role in the best possible conditions, the 36-year-old had to make an important phone call. He called young Brice Sensabaugh, who is about to start his second season in the league. A rookie, he wore the number 8 on his back, which the new arrival intended to steal from him.
The veteran saw in this premature exchange the opportunity to “ getting to know a teammate on a probably deeper level than usual. We went ahead and talked about it and I got to know him a little bit. One way or another, everything would have worked out. But I think ultimately it was good to get to know Brice a little bit. »
Both men were able to learn more about their respective spiritual beliefs. At Patty Mills, they explain why he cares so much about this jersey number. “ I'm Patty Mills, not the basketball player. I am a Gugada, Naghiralgal, Dauareb-Meriam man, born and raised in Australia, so my culture is very strong for me, proud to be an indigenous Australian man », he recalls.
A direct symbolic link with Utah
The son of an Aboriginal mother adds: “ In the Meriam culture, #8 is a God that is shaped like an octopus, and each of these eight tentacles represents a tribe in the Meriam culture, and I belong to one of those tribes, Dauareb. Wearing number 8, like my uncle did (Danny Morseu), I feel like I’m representing my family and my people. »
His teammate, not really attached to this number, did not hesitate to let go of the jersey. Patty Mills will thus keep this strong symbol worn since her debut in the league in 2009. Except for her visit last year to the Heat. Arriving during the season, the No. 8 already taken (Jamal Cain), he consoled himself with… No. 88.
And as luck would have it, the Australian international (No. 5 in selection) discovered that there were… eight federally recognized tribes and bands in Utah. “ It was a nice little connection I made with Utah. When you are in a spiritual culture like that, you find a lot of relevance and connections to numbers, the earth, the sky, the mountains and the oceans. »
| Patty Mills | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2009-10 | POR | 10 | 4 | 41.7 | 50.0 | 57.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 2.6 |
| 2010-11 | POR | 64 | 12 | 41.2 | 35.3 | 76.6 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 1.7 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 5.5 |
| 2011-12 | SAN | 16 | 16 | 48.5 | 42.9 | 100.0 | 0.3 | 1.5 | 1.8 | 2.4 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 1.6 | 0.1 | 10.3 |
| 2012-13 | SAN | 58 | 11 | 46.9 | 40.0 | 84.2 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 5.1 |
| 2013-14 | SAN | 81 | 19 | 46.4 | 42.5 | 89.0 | 0.4 | 1.7 | 2.1 | 1.8 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 10.2 |
| 2014-15 | SAN | 51 | 16 | 38.1 | 34.1 | 82.5 | 0.4 | 1.1 | 1.5 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 6.9 |
| 2015-16 | SAN | 81 | 21 | 42.5 | 38.4 | 81.0 | 0.3 | 1.6 | 2.0 | 2.8 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 8.5 |
| 2016-17 | SAN | 80 | 22 | 44.0 | 41.4 | 82.5 | 0.3 | 1.5 | 1.8 | 3.5 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 9.5 |
| 2017-18 | SAN | 82 | 26 | 41.1 | 37.2 | 89.0 | 0.3 | 1.6 | 1.9 | 2.8 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 0.1 | 10.0 |
| 2018-19 | SAN | 82 | 23 | 42.5 | 39.4 | 85.4 | 0.3 | 1.9 | 2.2 | 3.0 | 1.6 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 9.9 |
| 2019-20 | SAN | 66 | 23 | 43.1 | 38.2 | 86.6 | 0.3 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 1.6 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 11.6 |
| 2020-21 | SAN | 68 | 25 | 41.2 | 37.5 | 91.0 | 0.3 | 1.4 | 1.7 | 2.4 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 10.8 |
| 2021-22 | BRK | 81 | 29 | 40.8 | 40.0 | 81.4 | 0.2 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 2.3 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 11.4 |
| 2022-23 | BRK | 40 | 14 | 41.1 | 36.6 | 83.3 | 0.2 | 0.9 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 6.2 |
| 2023-24 * | All Teams | 32 | 13 | 35.1 | 27.6 | 100.0 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 4.0 |
| 2023-24 * | ATL | 19 | 11 | 37.3 | 38.2 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 2.7 |
| 2023-24 * | MIA | 13 | 16 | 33.8 | 20.8 | 100.0 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 1.2 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 5.9 |
| Total | 892 | 20 | 42.4 | 38.6 | 85.6 | 0.3 | 1.4 | 1.7 | 2.2 | 1.3 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 8.9 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
