Former San Antonio Spurs champion Patty Mills is taking the next stage of his career to Europe, and he will do it alongside one of the most important teammates from his decade in San Antonio.
LDLC ASVEL has signed Mills for the 2026-27 season, according to BasketNews, setting up a reunion with Spurs legend Tony Parker, who took over as the French club’s head coach this summer.
For Spurs fans, the pairing gives Parker’s new coaching venture an unmistakable San Antonio connection. Mills and Parker were teammates during the franchise’s 2014 championship run, and Mills developed from a reserve guard into one of Gregg Popovich’s most trusted bench players during his 10 seasons with the Spurs.
Patty Mills Reunites With Tony Parker After Spurs Championship Run
BasketNews reported August 10 that Mills, 37, officially signed with ASVEL and is set to make his EuroLeague debut during the upcoming season.
The move comes less than two months after Parker became ASVEL’s head coach. Heavy previously reported that Parker’s move to the bench represented a major shift for the Hall of Fame point guard, who had already been closely involved with the club as an owner and executive.
Now he will have a familiar veteran helping him navigate that transition.
Mills joined the Spurs during the 2011-12 season and remained in San Antonio through 2021. His most memorable run came during the 2014 postseason, when San Antonio defeated the Miami Heat in five games in the NBA Finals.
Mills provided shooting and energy behind Parker during that championship run. BasketNews noted that he averaged 10.2 points in the Finals while shooting 56.5% from 3-point range.
His Spurs tenure ultimately extended well beyond that title.
The NBA described Mills as a key reserve and veteran culture carrier when he left San Antonio in 2021. He spent 10 seasons with the organization and played 85 of his first 90 career playoff games in a Spurs uniform. At the time of his departure, his 1,220 made 3-pointers ranked second in franchise history behind Manu Ginóbili.
That relationship with Parker also stretched beyond simply sharing a backcourt.
Early in Mills’ Spurs tenure, he spoke openly about learning from Parker in practices and games. In a 2014 interview published by the Spurs, Mills said competing against Parker every day gave him an opportunity to study how the veteran approached the game and helped motivate him while he waited for a larger role.
More than a decade later, Parker will now be the coach rather than the teammate.
Mills Gives Parker a Familiar Veteran for His First ASVEL Season
That is what makes the signing more interesting from a Spurs perspective than the average former-player transaction overseas.
Parker is beginning a significant new chapter in his own basketball career. Heavy reported in June that the four-time NBA champion had officially become ASVEL’s head coach after years of involvement with the organization away from the bench.
Adding Mills gives Parker an experienced guard who already understands many of the habits and expectations that defined their years under Popovich.
It does not mean Parker is attempting to recreate the Spurs in France, but the shared background is notable. Both guards played central roles within a San Antonio system built around ball movement, decision-making and veteran accountability.
Mills also brings far more than Spurs nostalgia.
He has remained one of the defining players in Australian basketball history and has represented the Boomers across five Olympic Games. BasketNews noted that Mills scored 42 points in Australia’s bronze-medal win over Slovenia at the Tokyo Olympics, securing the country’s first Olympic medal in men’s basketball.
His NBA career continued with Brooklyn, Atlanta, Miami, Utah and the Los Angeles Clippers after he left San Antonio.
Now the next stop brings him back alongside Parker.
For Spurs fans who followed the 2014 championship team, ASVEL suddenly has two compelling reasons to keep an eye on French basketball in 2026-27.
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