They are the Canberra kids who are set to inspire a new generation of Australian athletes, but basketball and tennis greats believe Patrick Mills and Nick Kyrgios are only at the start of their journey to the top.
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Mills and Kyrgios will compete against Australia's best athletes for The Don Award in Melbourne on Thursday night after being nominated for their outstanding breakthrough years in the NBA and tennis.
It means Mills' NBA title and Kyrgios' Wimbledon exploits will be up against Mitchell Johnson's Ashes, Daniel Ricciardo's formula one efforts and Michael Shelley's marathon gold medal as the moments that have inspired Australians the most in the past year.
Three-time winter Olympian Lydia Lassila and athletics golden girl Sally Pearson have also been nominated for one of the most prestigious prizes in Australian sport.
Australia's greatest basketballer Andrew Gaze says Mills has turned a "fanciful" NBA dream into a reality for athletes, while Wally Masur declared Kyrgios had the potential to be a grand slam champion.
Mills helped lift the San Antonio Spurs to the NBA championship in June, becoming just the third Australian and first indigenous Australian to win the world's biggest league.
Less than a month later, Kyrgios, 19, shocked tennis when he beat world No.1 Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon. The former Daramalan College student now boasts a debut grand slam season record better than Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic.
"What Patty has already achieved is nothing short of outstanding," Gaze said. "The impact he's had on this country is very significant. He's providing an inspiration for youngsters coming through that you don't need to be seven feet tall.
"Winning the NBA championship sent a message that you can aspire to that. Those dreams might have been fanciful in the past, but now it is a reality and tangible."
Past winners of The Don, named in honour of Australia's greatest cricketer Sir Donald Bradman, include Adam Scott, Shane Warne, Pat Rafter, Cathy Freeman and Ian Thorpe.
Mills, 25, is easing his way back onto the court after shoulder surgery and will miss the first half of the Spurs' title defence.
Kyrgios is in Melbourne overcoming a bone stress injury in his left arm, following an intense first full year on the professional circuit.
The teenager toppled Nadal, one of the greatest players in the sport's history, in July. He also made the third round at the US Open and is on the cusp of a top 50 place in the rankings.
"Nick delivered on the biggest stage in the world in beating Nadal – it was a stellar year for him," Masur said. "The future looks bright and, for me, it's not just that he's winning. It's the manner in which he's doing it.
"That gives the idea that there's a lot of blue sky ahead and we're looking at a potential grand slam winner down the track."
Masur said the challenge for Kyrgios was handling the increased pressure and scrutiny as he strives to cement his place among the world's elite.
Canberra coaching guru Dick Telford and Paralympic great Michael Milton will also be honoured at the Sport Australia function, as inductees to to the Hall of Fame.
