The Boomers are confident of winning a medal at the Rio Olympic Games and further cementing Australia on the global basketball map, San Antonio star Patty Mills says.
Australia's presence on the world basketball stage has grown significantly in recent years, mainly thanks to a host of young talent including 2014 No.5 pick Dante Exum and potential 2016 No.1 NBA draft pick Ben Simmons.
Mills, in Melbourne for the Basketball Without Borders Asia camp, said the Boomers were still aiming to win a medal at Rio despite the unavailability of Exum and Simmons, and the injury cloud hovering over Golden State's Andrew Bogut.
"It's a very exciting time and we all understand as a team our goal and what we're trying to achieve in Rio and we mean it," Mills said.
"We are on a mission, we have our game faces on and we're trying to achieve something that Australia has never achieved before.
"The preparation has been great, [I have been] letting the body recover from a big NBA season, but getting ready for a big journey to Rio."
Warriors centre Bogut suffered bone bruises to his proximal tibia and distal femur after a collision with Cleveland's J.R. Smith in his side's dramatic NBA finals series loss. The injury - which forced him out of the final two games of the series - has left Bogut an unlikely Olympic starter.
Exum, of the Utah Jazz, decided against playing for Australia as he continues to recover from a knee reconstruction suffered late last year, while Simmons also withdrew.
"We'd love to have [Exum and Bogut] but injuries say otherwise. Bogut's a professional player, he's going to do whatever it takes to be on the court for the green and gold. But, even without them we still have a great team," Mills said.
Mills will spend the next four days at Dandenong Stadium for Australia's inaugural Basketball Without Borders camp.
The global initiative launched by the NBA in 2001 seeks to unite young basketball players in a bid to promote the sport.
"This is what it's all about. Not only for multicultural kids in Australia, but for everyone. It's all about opportunities and it's great," Mills said.
"For Australians to make it in the NBA, it's very hard, and for Australians to make it and win an NBA championship is even harder. So for us to have four Australians to win an NBA championship in the last three years is huge."
Mills, who won the NBA championship with the Spurs in 2014, did offer a piece of advice for the 45 participants from 17 countries.
"Everyone is out to find that next best player, so make the most of your opportunity," he said. "The calibre of people walking around here, ex-players, ex-coaches and current players - it's a great opportunity to be seen."
