Australian basketball veteran Patty Mills, 37, is setting his sights on an extraordinary sixth Olympic appearance at the Los Angeles Games in 2028. His recent move to La Laguna Tenerife is viewed as a significant triumph for the club.
Nico Richotti, La Laguna Tenerife’s sports director, recounted the rapid turn of events: “Everything happened very quickly. We initially wanted to sign Kenny Williams, but he failed his medical examination due to a knee issue. We then learned that Patty Mills was available. I was immediately captivated. He’s an idol!” Richotti added, “I found someone highly motivated, eager to play. He genuinely appreciated our project and had researched the club and the island thoroughly. Negotiations were swift. For us, this is a real masterstroke. He’s an icon, another exceptional player.”
Richotti expressed his surprise and admiration: “I never imagined we could have a player like him, and what’s more, he adapted very well, with humility. He listens, he wants to learn, to adapt to a tactical system that emphasizes strategy here.” The director also highlighted Mills’ “ease of scoring, his competitive spirit, his pride in winning, and his desire to help others improve.”
With Mills, La Laguna Tenerife boasts a highly experienced squad, featuring no fewer than 12 players over 30. This includes Brazilian Marcelinho Huertas, 42, and Canadian Aaron Doornekamp, 40, who are the only two players aged 40 or over in the entire league.
Mills’ return to professional competition is clearly fueled by a deeper ambition: to compete in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics – the city where his NBA career concluded – and thereby equal the record held by Spain’s Rudy Fernández, who is currently the only male basketball player to have participated in six Olympic Games.
