Jazz Sign Olympic Star

Although Patty Mills may no longer play with the Australian National team, the guard clearly has enough in the tank for the NBA, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski , the former San Antonio Spurs guard signed with the Utah Jazz for the veterans minimum.

Mills spent 10 seasons with the Spurs, playing 665 games and winning an NBA championship. The backup guard averaged 9.4 points on 38 percent three-point shooting during his decade in San Antonio. The Australian basketball star scored a career-high 34 points as a member of the Spurs during the 2011-12 season.

The former Spurs guard is coming off an impressive performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics when he averaged 16.5 points and 40 percent three-point shooting. Although Australia lost despite holding a 24-point lead over Serbia, Mills scored 26 points in possibly his last game for the Australian national team.

Mills commented on his Olympic journey and what it took to remain in tip-top shape.

“To be honest, I don’t know if there’s anything going through my mind at that stage other than just being able to do what you rep and rep and rep and the thousands and millions of shots that you practice just to have a three-minute stretch like that. No one will ever be able to understand. It’s a lot of practice. If there’s any advice, it’s that the practice and the hard work will pay off," Mills said.

Hard work paid off, indeed, as his Paris Olympics campaign earned him a contract with the Jazz. The Jazz are coming off a 31-win season, and Lauri Markkanen recently signed a contract extension.

Mills will play the veteran voice role in an otherwise younger locker room.