Patty’s final act could be NBL’s biggest yet

It was 2011 during the NBA lockout when Patty Mills played nine games for the Melbourne Tigers and averaged almost 19 points.

14 years later, with an NBA championship under his belt, the door for a return to the NBL is very much open.

“I would be surprised if Patty at some stage doesn’t come and play here,” NBL owner Larry Kestelman said when asked about the four-time Olympian.

“I know that’s his want and intent. But when that is, needs to be on his terms, when he feels great about it.

“So I can’t speak for whether it’s this year or next, but our hope is that he absolutely comes and plays in front of his family and fans here in the NBL.”

After Mills’ stint with the Brooklyn Nets from 2021 to 2023, he was traded to the Atlanta Hawks last season, before ultimately being waived  and then signing with the Miami Heat to finish the 2024 campaign.

Mills recently finished his 16th season in the NBA when the Los Angeles Clippers were eliminated from the Playoffs. That long tenure in the league began way back in 2009, when he was drafted 55th overall by the Portland Trailblazers.

At 36-years-old, Mills still has plenty left in the tank and Kestelman knows the opportunity the NBL can presence for such an iconic name in Australian sport.

“We’ve proven before that, people like Andrew Bogut and others like (Matthew) Dellavedova have come here ... it was always part of the vision to have a bit of a circular economy, where we can create a product here in the NBL that some of the youngest stars can come, develop their skills and go to the NBA ... and vice versa” he said.

“Especially for Australians, (that) there’s a league that they can be proud of to come and play the last few years of their careers.”