'Our future is brighter than our past': Australian of the Year nominee Patty Mills uniting a nation

He stood inside the bowels of a 68,000-seat stadium with an Australian flag in hand and a mask bearing cultural artwork stretched across his face.

The seats were empty, but that mattered little. More important was what Mills could feel. A greater presence. He was almost 7000 kilometres from Uluru, yet could feel the same humbling spirit of the red centre.

They say Mills carried three flags into the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympic Games that night. Only the Australian flag was visible, but those of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures were in his heart.

Mills missed out on the top Australian of the Year award, but his efforts on and off the court have been recognised. He was appointed Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to basketball, charitable initiatives, and to the Indigenous community.

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The 33-year-old NBA point guard is in the United States, helping Brooklyn to the No. 2 seed in the eastern conference as he chases a second championship ring.

"He is busy doing what he does best, and then inspiring others to do their best, that's what his message has been," Mills' father Benny said this week.

Mills has been crowned the ACT Australian of the Year for the sporting achievements which inspired a nation, but he is more than just a basketball player with an Olympic bronze medal to his name.

Because perhaps even more important in aiding his nomination is his work as an Indigenous mentor. Off the hardwood Mills is a leader, an inspiration, a conduit, a voice for the voiceless.

It goes some way to describing why Mills once chose to mark January 26 with custom shoes in an NBA game designed to educate and unite a nation.

"The base colour of the shoes represent the dusty red-soil plains of the land," Mills wrote on social media in 2019 after wearing the shoes.

"The left shoe displays the word 'INVASION' to describe the European Settlement and the genocide of Indigenous people that occurred on January 26, 1788. This was the year the British began to colonise the continent.

"The right shoe displays the word 'SURVIVAL' to describe the current status of Indigenous people, land and culture in Australia.

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"Lastly, the shoes incorporate the three National flags of Australia (Australian, Aboriginal and Torres Strait) appearing through the dusty red-soil plains.

"A sign of hope that our future is brighter than our past by remembering & honouring all of those who have sacrificed for us. Because today, we are one."

Mills has never been one to leave his cultural identity at the door to achieve his dreams. Instead he inspires others - teammates and fans alike - to embrace Australia's Indigenous culture.

He was the driving force behind the Boomers' historic bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics, but his lasting legacy on Australian basketball stretches far beyond the court.

"Where we've been able to build our Boomers culture is understanding the lay of the land that goes far beyond basketball and for us that's always giving back, being able to understand where we come from, where we see the future, living in the present and who we represent," Mills said following the Olympics.

"It's our culture at the end of the day, our Australian culture, Aussie spirit."

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