Patty Mills is reportedly returning to the National Basketball League next season, joining the Brisbane Bullets basketball legend Andrew Gaze.
Mills, 37, who has spent 16 NBA seasons across seven teams, is currently playing for Spanish side La Laguna Tenerife, averaging 17.3 points per game through the first four matches of their campaign. He went unsigned ahead of the 2025-26 NBA season, making his return to the NBL a highly anticipated homecoming.
“This is from a reasonably reliable source: Patty Mills, currently playing in Spain, will be returning to the NBL next year and will play for the Brisbane Bullets,” Gaze told SEN. “The Bullets are the hottest team for next season with Mills back.”
Mills’ last stint in the domestic league was with the Melbourne Tigers (now Melbourne United) during the 2011 NBA lockout. His return marks a major boost for the Bullets, who have struggled to attract marquee free agents in recent seasons despite pursuing players such as Matthew Dellavedova and Will McDowell-White.
Drafted 55th overall by the Portland Trail Blazers in 2009, Mills became the first Australian to play 1,000 NBA games, earning a reputation as one of Australia’s most decorated basketball exports. Before the Bullets link, there had been speculation he might join a proposed expansion team in his hometown of Canberra.
The return of Mills, along with Joe Ingles signing with Melbourne United, is expected to significantly raise the profile of the NBL for the 2026-27 season and provide a veteran leadership core alongside emerging stars like Josh Giddey and Dyson Daniels.
