[Patty Mills\NBA\IBA]
Mills: “If IBA can create the positive environment that allows my people to enjoy a healthy and safe life, to be accepted and participate in a society free from discrimination, then that’s the real win for my people in this life.”
Photo: Twitter
After pledging the remainder of his NBA salary this season for social justice causes and forming the “We Got You” campaign to address racism in Australian sports, San Antonio Spurs guard Patty Mills announced the launch of Indigenous Basketball Australia.
According to the website, IBA has been established to overcome the many challenges and barriers Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people face in the current Australian basketball systems and structures, and create pathways and opportunities at the grassroots level so they have a better chance to advance and succeed at the elite level.
IBA will focus on fundamental skills development and competitions by facilitating programs in regions across Australia to commence in 2021. These programs are designed to engage and empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth and unlock their full potential.
“Basketball will be the vehicle, and IBA will drive this vehicle to one day see more Indigenous Australians pulling on the Green and Gold for the Boomers or Opals,” Mills said. “But if IBA can create the positive environment that allows my people to enjoy a healthy and safe life, to be accepted and participate in a society free from discrimination, then that’s the real win for my people in this life.”
Read the rest of this story here: https://news4sanantonio.com/sports/spurs-zone/spurs-patty-mills-launches-indigenous-basketball-australia
