Patty Mills caps stellar season with Sportsmanship nomination

Mills explosive first season with the Brooklyn Nets has seen him scoop a nomination from his peers for his "fair play and integrity".

Patty Mill reacts after making a three point shot against the Milwaukee Bucks in New York on Thursday. Source: FR171374 AP

Patty Mills has finished off a stellar first season with the Brooklyn Nets in the running for the prestigious NBA Sportsmanship Award. 

The award, voted upon by league players themselves, honours a player who "exemplifies the ideals of sportsmanship on the court with ethical behavior, fair play, and integrity."

The nomination comes as scant surprise to those who have watched the Kokatha Naghiralgal Dauareb-Meriam man's efforts over the 2021/2022 season.

Mills, fresh from helping secure the Boomers their first ever Olympic medal in Tokyo last year, exploded into his new position with the Brooklyn Nets in the season's opening games. 

In his first game, Mills equalled the record for the most three-pointers in a debut game, scoring a perfect seven-from-seven from beyond the arc.

In a stupefying display of his talents, he used the Net's very next game to break another record.

Mills broke records in his first two games with the Nets, and has maintained a high point-score average through the season. Source: AP

Facing off against the Philadelphia 76ers, Mills became the first player ever to shoot a perfect 10 from 10 3-pointers. 

It was a performance that Mills has sustained throughout the season, leading superstar teammate Kevin Durant to lavish him with praise. 

“Patty puts in the work every day to be the player he is and he respects his opponents too - that is the sign of a true sportsman,” Nets superstar Kevin Durant said.

The Nets are currently at 8th on the table, with a difficult path forward to the playoffs.