Patty Mills leads legendary Australian Boomers celebration in Tokyo

He led Australia to a drought-breaking bronze medal in Tokyo, but Patty Mills took home gold in the partying stakes. WATCH THE VIDEO.

They won a drought-breaking bronze medal in Tokyo, but Patty Mills and the Boomers took home gold in the partying stakes.

Fresh from carrying Australia to its first ever Olympic medal in men’s basketball, inspirational point guard Mills - who finished with 42 points and nine assists in the win over Slovenia - took his legendary form to the dancefloor.

Surrounded by his teammates and other Olympic athletes, Mills held court, drinking beer off the bronze medal hanging his neck and cutting shapes to Australia’s unofficial anthem, Men At Work’s Down Under.

Patty Mills on fire on and off the court.

NBA and Boomers rookie Josh Green was dragged front and centre by Mills as the Down Under sing-a-long continued.

The party went well in to the morning, with sharp-shooter Chris Goulding’s Instagram stories revealing the 6am scaries couldn’t halt celebrations.

Can’t you hear, can’t you hear the thunder? It’s Australia’s bronze medal men’s team celebrating from Tokyo!

Chris Goulding and Joe Ingles.

Goulding with his bronze medal.

What does future hold for Boomers

- Joe Barton

NBA superstar Ben Simmons won’t “take much convincing” to suit up for the Boomers in the future, as Australia look to ensure their historic Olympic bronze medal is the start of something special.

As Simmons’ teammate on the Philadelphia 76ers, Matisse Thybulle knows what makes the three-time NBA All-Star tick as well as anyone within the Boomers, and he reckons the 25-year-old could finally be drawn to don the green and gold again as Australia begins its preparations for the Paris Olympics in 2024.

“I don’t think it will take much convincing for (the) next go around,” Thybulle told News Corp as Team USA stars Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard and Jayson Tatum came up to offer their congratulations.

Patty Mills of Team Australia celebrates with his bronze medal

Thybulle has been a revelation for coach Brian Goorjian since linking up with the Australian team for the first time two months ago, with his tenacious defence and explosive open-court play offering the Boomers a dynamic weapon they’ve never possessed before.

At just 24 years of age he shapes as one of the central figures in the next generation of Boomers success, a legacy he is desperate to uphold.

For the past two weeks, during every hour-long bus ride from the Olympic Village to the Saitama Super Arena in Tokyo, Thybulle would absorb words of wisdom from team veterans Patty Mills and Joe Ingles as he learned what had created the Boomers unbreakable team bond.

“All the hardships. All the shortcomings. And even though it’s my first year, I feel like I took on that history when I put on this jersey,” Thybulle said.

“For me, I’m just honoured to part of the team. I finally did it.”

Matisse Thybulle #10, Joe Ingles #7 and Chris Goulding #4 of Team Australia

The next major tournament on the horizon for the Boomers is the 2023 FIBA World Cup, where Australia will have a chance to back up their Olympic performance.

They will hope veterans Ingles (33) and Mills (32) still have enough fire in the belly to go around for another campaign, and if they do they’ll be joined by an emerging cast of stars in Thybulle, Dante Exum, Josh Giddey, Josh Green and, hopefully, Simmons.

“We were joking the other day about how after the (2019) World Cup the narrative was that the young core wasn’t looking strong,” he said.

“They were worried about what the future was for the team. I’m so happy I can be considered a part of it.

Ben Simmons withdrew from the Olympic squad before Tokyo

“It’s so exciting to see what we were able to do this year and the opportunity to build on that is really exciting.

“You’ve seen the talent, and the talent that isn’t even here with us yet. It’s going to be good.”

What’s most important, however, is that the young crew follow in the footsteps of Ingles and Mills in upholding the Boomers’ culture that has been forged over the past 12 years – and in generations before it.

“It was important for us, for these older guys not only to get them a medal, but also for the younger guys to see we can do something and continue to keep getting better,” Exum said.

“This is the standard now. Patty … what do you say about Patty Mills. It’s unbelievable what he brings on the court, off the court, to the culture of the Boomers. I hope I can carry that on when he steps down.

“We’ve got to carry that culture through and hopefully it’s gold next.”

Originally published as Patty Mills leads legendary Australian Boomers celebration in Tokyo