Since 2014-15, the Australian native has sported Under Armour shoes while in a Spurs uniform, but never have his shoes meant as much as they did on January 2. In fact, very few pairs of basketball shoes have ever represented something as big as Mills’ pair of Under Armour Drive 4 Low’s did, as they had “Mabo Day 1992” written across the sole.
Mabo Day is the official celebration of the Australian High Court overturning terra nullius (land belonging to no-one) more than 25 years ago, which determined that Indigenous people did not own the land of Australia or Torres Strait Islands. It is an essential part of understanding Mills and his heritage.
Mills’ kicks not only represent the legitimization of his homeland, but serve as a reminder that a large part of what has made the Spurs a special organization has been the top-to-bottom commitment to valuing individuals as individual people, not just basketball players. Out of all the shoes in the world, very few pairs will have such a story behind them.
https://www.poundingtherock.com/2018/1/5/16850466/patty-mills-shoes-meaning-san-antonio-spurs-mabo
Mills' father is a Torres Strait islander and his mother is an Aboriginal woman from South Australia. His mother is a victim of the Stolen generations.
In 2014 Mills was moved to tears when his coach Gregg Popovich who asked the team to help Mills celebrate Mabo Day on June 3 around the time of that year's finals.
“It was unbelievable,” Mills told the San Antonio Express News.
“I had no idea Pop was going to do it. I had no idea he even knew about (Mabo Day), but for him to bring that up in a meeting before the NBA Finals, just to give everyone a heads-up, was very special.”
https://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/nitv-news/article/2018/01/03/patty-mills-celebrates-his-culture-mabo-day-footwear-during-nba-game
Mabo Day occurs annually on June 3, and recognizes Eddie Koiki Mabo -- Mills' great-uncle on his father's side -- who challenged the Australian legal system and fought for recognition of the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the traditional owners of their land, leading to the landmark High Court decision that acknowledged the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander connection to Australia.
For Mills, the shoe is another way for him to educate people as well.
"Going up-and-down the court it's hard to tell that I am an Indigenous Australian, so to put something unique like that on a shoe is very special to me to let people that do notice to ask questions, and I'm more than happy to tell them," he told ESPN.
For the moment the shoe will remain a Player Exclusive, meaning you will see the sneaker only on Mills' feet when the Spurs play, but he's hoping it might get a retail lease in Australia in the not-too-distant future. "We'll see what we can do down in Australia, but I think it will do well, so we'll see," he told ESPN.
http://kwese.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/21953793/patty-mills-wearing-armour-mabo-day-kicks-educate-people
