SAN ANTONIO — On Tuesday, two days removed from their Game 6 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder that put them in the 2014 NBA Finals, Gregg Popovich brought the Spurs together to begin planning for the Miami Heat.

Before diagramming any Xs or Os, the coach asked his players to help one of their teammates, point guard Patty Mills, celebrate a special day.

Popovich explained to his players the significance of June 3 to Indigenous Australians, who celebrate it as Eddie Mabo Day, the anniversary of a high court decision recognizing the land rights of Indigenous Australians and, specifically, Torres Strait Islanders.

The Torres Strait Islands are within the boundaries of Australia but in the straits between the far Northern tip of Australia and Papua New Guinea.

Welling with emotion as Popovich spoke, Mills, the son of an Indigenous Torres Strait Islander father and an Indigenous South Australian mother, found himself at a loss for words.

“It was unbelievable,” said Mills, who earned a role as Tony Parker's backup this season, his fifth in the NBA. “I had no idea Pop was going to do it. I had no idea he even knew about (Mabo Day), but for him to bring that up in a meeting before the NBA Finals, just to give everyone a heads-up, was very special.”

Mills' parents, Benny and Yvonne Mills, arrived in San Antonio from Australia on Monday to attend the games at AT&T Center.

Mills shared with them Popovich's recognition of their culture and heritage.

“He came home and told us he was taken aback,” Yvonne Mills said. “It's such a special day for him and a lot of Australians. Wherever he is, he always remembers Mabo Day.”

Patty Mills explained why the day means so much to him.

“It is named after a person, Eddie Mabo, who was a Torres Strait Islander who challenged the Australian government and the Australian system and took a land rights case to the high court of Australia in 1982.

“It took 10 years before it finally passed down in their favor, which saw the legal doctrine of the Australian government overturned and proving that, yes, this is their land and they were, indeed, the first Australians before the white settlements.

“It was a very big deal, June 3 of 1992, and Tuesday was the anniversary.”

The first Indigenous Australian to play in the NBA Finals, Mills scored seven points in Game 1, making three of five shots and grabbing three rebounds in 111/2 minutes in the sweltering AT&T Center.

Aware his exploits are being followed closely in Australia, he is gratified to be making a significant contribution to the Spurs playoff run this season, calling it a point of pride to represent Indigenous Australians on such a stage.

“First, it's a matter of pride just being an Indigenous Australian,” he said. “As far as I'm concerned, nothing that I do or nothing that gets in my way will even come close to my culture and my heritage.”

“There's not a lot of cultures and heritages around the world that's like the Indigenous native Australian and to be the only one to make it this far in the NBA Finals, no question it's a point of pride.”

Though he has had a few tough times in his career — he was out of the NBA most of the 2011-12 season before the Spurs signed him to a free agent contract on March 27, 2012 — Mills said the experiences of his mother always have inspired him and reminded him to remain strong.

Yvonne Mills was among the Indigenous Australians whose families were separated forcibly by past Australian federal, state and territorial government agencies and church missions, from the late 19th century to the 1970s.

Children removed from their families were sent to institutions or adopted by nonindigenous families. Those thus affected came to be known as the stolen generations.

On Feb. 13, 2008, Australia's then-Prime Minister Kevin Rudd officially issued an apology to Indigenous Australians, with specific reference to the stolen generations.

“It's hard to describe,” Patty Mills said of his mother's life experience. “It's a touchy subject and being the son of a great person who has been through it all I can't even describe it for her.”

Patty Mills' acknowledgment of her role in building his character brought a smile to Yvonne Mills' face.

“It's good to know that he said that, because as children grow up you don't realize a lot of things,” Yvonne Mills said. “They don't realize a lot of things and you don't realize a lot of things until they have grown up and they say, 'You were my inspiration,' or 'I was really glad about certain things.'

“He has done that and there's a lot of things he learned growing up and he's put into his own life now, some really good positive things.”

On Thursday night at AT&T Center, Patty Mills' positive energy helped the Spurs get an important victory.

“It means a lot to us because it's what he's always strived for, right from a very young age,” Yvonne Mills said. “This is what he wanted and we're all so glad to have him in this position now.

“I'm sure all of Australia is behind him.”

mikemonroe@express-news.net

Twitter: @Monroe_SA