CANBERRA, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- NBA star Patty Mills on Thursday won the Don Award, the most prestigious award in Australian sports.
The Brooklyn Nets shooter received the award, named after legendary Australian cricketer Donald Bradman, at the Sport Australia Hall of Fame for leading Australia's men's basketball team to their first-ever Olympic medal in the Tokyo Olympics this year, scoring 42 points in the third-placed playoff victory over Slovenia.
He is the first basketballer to win the Don Award, which was first presented in 1998.
The award is given to the Australian athlete or team who is judged to have most inspired the nation over the last 12 months.
Former winners include swimming star Ian Thorpe, tennis world number one Ashleigh Barty, Tour de France winner Cadel Evans and golfer Adam Scott.
Mills said in a statement that he hoped to continue to inspire the Australians.
"It means a lot, and I've said this before, but it's something that as an athlete, you don't set out to achieve these kinds of awards," he said.
"They're recognition of everything that you do on the court and off the court," he added. Enditem
