Canberra basketball star Patty Mills has shared insight into what helped make him one of the most inspiring figures in the Australian Olympic team.
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Mills is aiming to play in his fifth Olympic Games in Paris this year, leading the Boomers to go a few podium spots better than their last campaign in Tokyo where they won a historic bronze medal - the first medal for the Australian men's team.
Though it hasn't been an ideal lead-up for Mills as he struggles to get regular game-time at his current NBA team, the Atlanta Hawks, Boomers coach Brian Goorjian appears to have Mills locked in regardless.
It's understandable given Mills' innate ability to inspire the best basketball from his teammates, as they all attested in the aftermath of the Boomers' "rose gold" triumph in Tokyo.
And having the chance to represent the green and gold on the biggest stage is not a task Mills takes lightly, as he took to Instagram to share what drives him toward Paris, visiting the site of the Atlanta Olympics, where many Australian Olympians before him made history.
"There are 171 days until the Paris Olympics and in preparation for my fifth Olympic Games we took a tour of the historic Centennial Olympic Stadium, home of the Atlanta '96 Olympics," Mills wrote.
"It may be a college football stadium now but this structure still holds some of the most iconic moments in Olympic history.
![Patty Mills in Atlanta, Georgia. Picture Instagram Patty Mills in Atlanta, Georgia. Picture Instagram](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/168198572/69cf5411-e3b2-4da2-b019-3a73fa9509fa.png/r0_0_532_700_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"I have vivid memories as a little boy in Australia carefully watching the Atlanta Olympics and being incredibly inspired by all the athletes and all the sports.
"The white doves at the opening ceremony and Muhammad Ali lighting the cauldron. Michael Johnson and his gold spikes breaking the 200m World Record. Keiren Perkins, beast. Madam Butterfly Susie O'Neal, beast. Daniel Kowalski winning medals in three freestyle events. Nova Peris and the Hockeyroos winning gold. Awesome Foursome. The Woodies.
"And the famous rivalry between Marie-Jose Perec and Cathy Freeman where Cathy wins her first Olympic medal.
"These Olympics opened my eyes to sporting excellence and the possibilities of one day walking in the same footsteps."
Mills will no doubt rely on his training outside of games to build some form for the Paris Games with the Australian playing over 15 minutes just four times in 18 games since joining the Hawks this season.
Because of this lack of meaningful game time for Atlanta, the veteran guard has only averaged 10 minutes, 2.8 points, one rebound and 0.7 assists in the NBA - a stark contrast to his career averages of 8.9 points and 2.2 assists in over 20 minutes per game.