Spurs point guard Patty Mills has made the bold decision to donate his entire NBA salary to the Black Lives Matter movement in Australia. The Australian guard is putting his money where his mouth is, and donating the entire salary from the remaining eight games in Florida to social justice causes in Australia. Mills will donate $1.45 million to the Black Deaths in Custody and The We Got You campaign.
When allies who stand up and speak out against racism, although a small gesture, this is one of many actions that have a tremendous impact on the person being targeted because they feel the support. It can also make whoever racially vilifies that person reconsider own behavior. pic.twitter.com/MqH3Fc1CqX
— Patrick Mills (@Patty_Mills) July 7, 2020
Mills has been an outspoken ambassador for social justice issues in Aboriginal communities in Australia.
“I’m proud to say I’m taking every cent from these eight games that we’re playing, which for me will turn out to be $1,017,818 and 54 cents, and donating that directly back to Black Lives Matter Australia, Black Deaths in Custody and to a recent campaign that’s called We Got You — dedicated to ending racism in sport in Australia, so I’m playing in Orlando because I don’t want to leave any money on the table that could be going directly to Black communities,” Mills said.
Mills was joined in the We Got You Campaign by several Australian sports stars including Jazz veteran Joe Ingles and AFL star Patrick Dangerfield. The We Got You campaign is dedicated to stamping out racism in Australian sport.
“When allies who stand up and speak out against racism, although a small gesture, this is one of many actions that have a tremendous impact on the person being targeted because they feel the support. It can also make whoever racially vilifies that person reconsiders their behaviour,” Mills said.
Spurs enter the Orlando hub sitting in 12th spot in the Western Conference and face the tall task of sweeping their remaining eight games for a playoff chance.
The league was brought to a halt due to the COVID-19 epidemic sweeping across the country. Several players have announced that they will not be joining the Florida hub citing concerns over the health and family commitments.
