Australian Connection
Patty Mills’ name hasn’t come up excessively in regards to the 76ers upcoming offseason, but it probably should be. Mills has a longer relationship with Sixers coach Brett Brown than any player on the 76ers roster. Mills started at shooting guard for the Brett Brown coached Australian National team in the FIBA World Championship in 2010, and on the 2012 London Olympics team.
This relationship likely played a part in Patty Mills’ signing with the Spurs in 2012 after playing two seasons in china, as Brett Brown was the team’s assistant coach and director of player development. Even though it’s been four years since Brown formally couched Mills, there is obviously no love lost between the pair. In a recent interview with Comcast Sports Net after the most recent Sixers Spurs game Mills’ said “I love him (Brett Brown). He’s one of my all-time favorite coaches.”