Mills has faith in Simmons

IT’S the text message exchange with Ben Simmons that has Boomers veteran Patty Mills confident the NBA All-Star will put aside his grievances with Basketball Australia and play at next year’s Tokyo Olympics.

Only moments after Australia’s heartbreaking World Cup loss to France in the bronze medal game, Mills reached out to Simmons.

He wanted the Philadelphia 76ers guard to know how much stronger the Boomers will be at the 2020 Olympics with his big-game presence and athleticism.

Simmons is yet to officially commit to Tokyo after pulling out of the World Cup campaign in China to focus on the 2019-20 NBA season.

The 23-year-old was also disappointed with the Boomers’ lack of resources for support staff, including personal physiotherapists.

Despite this, Mills is confident Simmons will wear green and gold in Japan next July and August.

“Ben is excited to play for Australia,” Mills said. “I spoke to him via text after the World Cup. I knew Ben would have been watching and I wanted to have that conversation with him about his input on the team and how good we will be to have him.

“I know there is a part of Ben that is excited to put on the green and gold.”

Simmons isn’t alone when it comes to concerns about the Boomers’ set-up from a professional standpoint.

Mills publicly addressed the players’ frustrations earlier this year when several team members had their performance demands knocked back because of budgeting reasons.

These requests included a team chef, plus extra recovery and performance staff.

Mills admits Basketball Australia still has room for improvement in the performance space to secure NBA players like Simmons for Tokyo.

Mills was deservedly in the conversation for tournament MVP after starring for the Boomers at the World Cup.