In a sport dominated by giants, Patty Mills continues to not just survive but thrive, even at the ripe old age of 35.

Standing a tick under or a tick over six foot (183cm), depending on who you ask, the Boomers great is representing Australia at his fifth Olympic Games in France.

Mills has basically done it all in the game.

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A 15 year NBA veteran, he won the 2014 championship with the San Antonio Spurs and is still going strong with the Miami Heat.

But Mills has done his best work in green and gold, leading the Boomers to their first ever Olympic medal with bronze in Tokyo.

He is also in rarefied air on some all-time Olympic statistical lists.

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A Mills three pointer against Canada nudged him ahead of fellow Boomers icon Shane Heal for most threes made by an Australian at the Olympics.

He has now sunk 72 from deep, placing him fourth worldwide behind only Brazil’s Oscar Schmidt, Australia’s Andrew Gaze and USA’s Kevin Durant.

And with 38 Olympic steals, Mills is ahead of Dwyane Wade and Manu Ginobili, level with Chris Paul and in a tussle with LeBron James and Rudy Fernandez to chase the record held by Russia’s Andrei Kirilenko.

They are some serious names.

“He’s going to go down in history as one of our greatest Boomers,” Stan Sport expert Heal told Wide World of Sports.

“Just the longevity of it, his commitment and sacrifice long-term has been incredible. His performances when he puts on the green and gold is outstanding. He’s certainly alongside guys like Andrew Gaze that have been there and performed at that level over a long period of time. And I think he will go down as being greater when he represented Australia than he did for his NBA career, which is obviously at a high standard as well.

“But certainly he always took a step up when he put on the green and gold.”

Indeed, the contrast between Mills’ international and NBA stats is striking.

He averages 20.7 points and 3.8 assists for the Boomers compared with 8.8 points and 2.2 assists in the NBA.

“If I could put my thumb on it, I’ll let you know. I’m still trying to figure that out,” Mills said when asked about the discrepancy.

“All I can say is that I take a lot of pride and passion playing for my country and being able to represent Australia the right way in what I believe and show the strength… I think it becomes more than just basketball when you put these colours on.”

Heal has admired Mills since he was a talented teenager at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra.

Then coaching South Dragons in Australia’s NBL, Heal unsuccessfully tried to sign Mills who opted instead to continue his education at Saint Mary’s College in California.

“He was always destined for great things and the longer he’s gone the better he’s continued to get,” Heal said.

Heal’s 1996 battles with Charles Barkley and the USA ‘Dream Team’ are the stuff of Australian sporting lore.

And ‘The Hammer’ says he sees the same underdog mentality and fierce national pride in Mills.

“When I was growing up everything was about playing for Australia because no-one had played in the NBA,” Heal said.

“Guys like Patty had people to look up to in the NBA and believe they could but it hasn’t stopped the desire of guys like Patty and Joe Ingles and Delly (Matthew Dellavedova), to want to represent Australia. Others pick and choose when they do that, but those guys have sacrificed a lot for their country.

“When you go through an NBA season, like they do, it’s full on and fatiguing. It’s long (82 game regular season plus playoffs), it’s game after game and most players are looking forward to a little bit of a holiday to put their feet up and freshen up for the next NBA season.

“These guys have just continually put their hand up and wanted to contribute.”

Heal, also 183cm, shares similar traits to Mills as being a gun slinging shooting guard in a point guard’s body.

He admired Mills’ ability to flick the switch from NBA role player and occasional “microwave” bench scorer to a reliable go-to man for the Boomers.

“This was always going to be his biggest challenge at 35 years of age. And he struggled in the first three friendly games but he’s had a great start to these Olympics and been able to wind back the clock.”

Heal and Mills share a relentless work ethic and deep rooted confidence in their shot, no matter how many rim out in a row.

“He’s got an ability to be able to work without the ball,” Heal noted.

“So he’s got a quickness to be able to get to spots and get it off with a quick release before somebody has the chance to get a hand up and block his shot.

“It’s a unique ability. He can shoot the ball when his feet aren’t set, he can shoot the ball while he’s fading and moving. To be able to release it – the degree of difficulty on a lot of the shots that Patty has to take and make is really high. He’s a unique scorer for a guard.”

He’s not done yet but Mills’ legacy will also extend well beyond the basketball court.

Of Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal descent, Mills is one of 10 Indigenous Australian athletes at the Olympics and the country’s first five-time Indigenous Olympian.

He doesn’t want to be the last.

“He puts a lot of time and effort into Indigenous programs and does that away from the court too,” Heal said.

“So setting a great standard and he’s a role model for not just Indigenous kids but all kids coming up in Australia that want to achieve great things and have a dream of achieving great things.

“He’s certainly a great role model for that.”

Patty Mills is an ambassador for Old El Paso™. Try his baja fish taco recipe for yourself!

Shane Heal is a basketball expert for Stan Sport throughout the Paris 2024 Olympic Games