From Heartbreak to History: Australia’s First Olympic Basketball Medal

From Heartbreak to History: Australia’s First Olympic Basketball Medal

From heartbreak in Rio to glory in Tokyo, Episode 4 charts one of the most dramatic stretches in Australian basketball history.

Patty Mills’ rise with the San Antonio Spurs mirrored the Boomers’ growth on the world stage, as NBA champions like Mills, Andrew Bogut, and Matthew Dellavedova were joined by a new wave of Australian talent — including Ben Simmons, Thon Maker, Dante Exum, and Aron Baynes. The NBA pipeline from Down Under was stronger than ever.

But the journey wasn’t without pain. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Australia came within seconds of their first Olympic basketball medal, only for a controversial call to send Spain to the free throw line and break Aussie hearts. The same Spanish squad would haunt them again at the 2019 FIBA World Cup, denying them another podium finish.

Then came Tokyo 2021. Facing Luka Dončić and Slovenia for Bronze, Patty Mills refused to let history repeat itself. In one of the greatest performances in Boomers history, Mills poured in 42 points to secure Australia’s first-ever Olympic basketball medal.

As the torch passed to a new generation — Josh Giddey, Dyson Daniels, Josh Green — the Boomers entered the 2023 World Cup and 2024 Paris Olympics with a mix of youth and veteran leadership. Can the Lucky Country turn Bronze into Gold?

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