The crazy world of Australian NBA star Patty Mills

HE turned towel waving into an art form and has pumped iron with Sir Paul McCartney. Is there anything Aussie NBA star Patty Mills can’t do?

YOU want zany on and off-court antics? Australian NBA star Patty Mills is your man.

First, there was the “three goggles”, which Mills made his own during his early NBA years at the Portland Trailblazers.

Mills and his teammates would poke fun at fellow Blazer Rudy Fernandez struggles from beyond the three-point line, indicating he couldn’t see very well.

So when Fernandez started sinking threes, they would make goggles with their hands over their eyes in tribute to his skill.

“I love it,” Mills said at the time.

“They’ve come a long way since I’ve gotten involved with them. I just don’t want to take it too far.”

Then came the towel waving.

When the coach describes you as a “little fat ass” and you’re on a team of out and out superstars, chances are you’ll be spending plenty of time on the pine. So you may as well make the most of it.

Mills endeared himself to millions of NBA fans with his range of towel tricks, which were quickly given individual names and even a Mills instructional video on how to perform them.

Patty Mills and his Spurs teammates launch their online craze called “frogging”.

Next came his latest craze, called “frogging”.

The Spurs boys apparently get a little bored on the road, so they spiced up their photos by making a pose that resembles a frog.

The pose quickly took off and soon thousands of fans were posting their own “frogging” examples on social media.

“We can never take normal photos,” Mills said on the San Antonio Spurs website.

“We’ve always got to make some sort of face.”

Patty Mills stumbled across a chance to work out with Sir Paul McCartney.

Then came the revelation he once lifted weights with Beatles frontman McCartney.

With a McCartney performance wedged in between two nights of Spurs games at a stadium, McCartney had a quick pre-show workout gym and thought he had the place to himself, until Mills showed up.

“They knew we just wanted to get a lift after our practice, so they let us in,” Mills said.

“We walked in, and there he was, Paul McCartney. Before we could say hi or anything he said, ‘Go Spurs go’.”

“It was one of those rare moments when I didn’t know what to say. A special moment, and now I can tell everyone I lifted weights with Paul McCartney.”

Mills Instagram post in which he donned Adelaide Crows gear.

And proving he hasn’t lost touch with his Australian roots, Mills donned some Adelaide Crows gear while preparing for the NBA Finals series, in honour of fellow indigenous athlete Andrew McLeod being inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame.

Best of all, his on-court performances are now starting to outweigh his off-court silliness, with the back-up point guard averaging more than 10 points this NBA season.

In Monday’s Game 2 of the finals, he scored eight points off the bench.

Originally published as The crazy world of Australian NBA star Patty Mills