Mills's admission came as he arrived in London for his second Olympic Games, where he will lead the Boomers on their campaign to be the first Australian men's team to win a basketball medal.

He also has a simple message for those suffering a similar fate - don't retaliate. Athletics Australia was rocked when 400-metres runner John Steffensen said he was racially abused by an official at the Games in Beijing four years ago.

Steffensen has caused headaches for officials but Olympic gold medallist Steve Hooker backed up his claims earlier this week.

Mills hadn't heard about Steffensen's continuing fight and he was reluctant to make it ''a bigger issue''. ''But to say that it didn't exist wouldn't be true,'' he said. ''At no point did I let it affect what I do. It kind of even motivates me to be a role model. Things are said [on and off the court] when you grow up but you don't let it beat you and [you] let your playing do the talking.

''And the more success I can hopefully achieve, that's my way of sending a reply. It's died off the further I've gone through my career, but that's the stuff that makes me want to be a role model, it's my way of giving back.''

Mills's mum Yvonne was part of the Stolen Generation. She was just 2½ years old when she, her brother and three sisters were taken from their mother at Koonibba, west of Ceduna on South Australia's Eyre Peninsula. His dad Benny is a Torres Strait Islander.

When Mills was growing up he was part of the Shadows basketball club in Canberra that gave young athletes from a diverse range of backgrounds a chance to play the sport. It was more than a club, it was ''a family'' for indigenous people and Mills credits it with the start of his basketball journey.

The 23-year-old has since won a spot in the NBA and recently signed a new two-year deal with the San Antonio Spurs.

His uncle Danny Morseu was the first indigenous player to represent Australia in basketball and Mills carries three flags with him to international events. ''We had all different kinds of races on our team in Shadows and it's not talked about a lot but it was an amazing experience, that's where it all started for me,'' Mills said.

''I was fortunate in the area I grew up in and the schools I went to that I had great people who surrounded me. I put myself as a role model, that's for sure. I'm coming to London representing Australia at the Olympic Games and that's something I'm very proud of.

''I also represent the indigenous community in Australia and my family. Not only do I wave the Australian flag, but I wave both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander [flags] and that's something that means more to me than most things.''