BTN STAFF
During a Feb. 25th game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Patty Mills was taunted with a racial comment from a Cavs fan. “Hey, Mills, Jamaica just called. They want their bobsledder back.” the fan said as Mills shot two free throws. Mills responded after the game to the stupid statement. “I am a proud Islander. Like my Jamaican Brothers, me & my family in the islands of the Torres Strait have experienced racial slurs for decades.” Mills said.
Patty who grew up in Australia, detailed some of the racism as a child. “I heard similar stuff growing up, big time. Brutal. Bad. It was equivalent of the ‘N-word,’ which is thrown around a lot in Australia. Another one is ‘black c—.’ That is just as bad as the N-word over there. Another is ‘Abo,’ short for Aboriginal, which is really bad over there to black Australians.” Mills said.
The Cavaliers reviewed video tape, identified the fan and banned him from all events at their stadium. To read more about this story click here.