Wildcats Multicultural Stories: Club Staff

Multiculturalism at the Perth Wildcats extends well beyond the playing group. Behind the scenes, staff from a wide range of backgrounds bring their own experiences, cultures and perspectives into the day-to-day fabric of the club.

Wildcats COO and GM of Basketball Operations Danny Mills, explains how the Multicultural Game is a natural extension of who the Wildcats are as an organisation.

“It’s a really important initiative for the club,” Mills says. “We’ve got players and staff from all over the world, born in different places or raised in different countries and it’s important that we recognise that.”

With basketball now a global game, Mills believes the Wildcats’ diversity strengthens both performance and connection.

“You see so many people from around the world come to Perth for one common cause,” he says. “Trying to win a championship with the Perth Wildcats, but also creating impact in the community. That’s something the club does really well.”

That diversity is reflected across the staff group, including Wildcats Sports Scientist Luciana Perez, who was born and grew up in Argentina.

“Argentina is a sports crazy country,” Perez says. “It’s a mix of European cultures, mainly Spanish and Italian, but with a lot of passion and emotion. Family and friends are everything. It’s my home and my identity.”

Basketball holds a special place in Argentine culture, something Perez grew up with.

“We won a gold medal at the Olympics and our most famous player is Manu Ginóbili,” she says. “Basketball has always been big.”

Working in sport allows Perez to blend her love of performance with science.

“I love sports as a player, but also sports science,” she says. “I enjoy both the clinical side and the research side of the field.”

For Perth Wildcats Assistant Coach Aaron Young, his upbringing shaped his appreciation for different cultures from an early age.

Born in Phoenix, Arizona, Young moved to Kuwait at six years old, living there for six years before relocating to Auckland, New Zealand, where he spent the next two decades.

“It was an unbelievable experience as a kid,” Young says. “Learning a different culture and how life was run there. It was a really unique grounding.”

Culture also plays a strong role in his personal life, particularly through family traditions.

“We have traditions like a Sunday feast. Good food, good people, everyone together. That connection matters.”

For Wildcats Head of Commercial, Sam Fotu, culture and representation are central to his role within the club.

Born in Auckland to Tongan parents, Fotu grew up in a Polynesian household where sport was part of daily life.

“Traditionally, rugby is the main pathway for Polynesians,” he says. “When I started playing basketball, there weren’t many people from Tongan or Samoan backgrounds.”

That has changed significantly, something Fotu sees as important for the next generation.

“Now you see so many islanders picking up basketball and feeling comfortable doing it,” he says. “For my kids and family, it shows there are other pathways.”

Working in the Wildcats front office, he is conscious of the example he sets.

“A lot of people from a Polynesian background think the athlete pathway is the only option,” he says. “I want to show there are other roles in sport and other ways to build a career.”

Danny Mills reflects on how lived experiences across the staff group reinforce why initiatives like the Multicultural Game and traditions throughout the season are so meaningful.

“We still do Thanksgiving and put these things on throughout the year,” he says. “It gives players a slice of home.”

He believes those moments matter deeply for players who spend long periods away from family.

“It’s important for building team and organisational culture,” Mills says. “We invite staff into those settings so they can understand what it means for players who are here for six or seven months. It’s a way of saying, we value you and where you come from.”

“When you bring all of that together,” he says, “it’s the best of different worlds. It helps players feel at home, helps staff understand each other and strengthens the culture of the organisation.”

As the Wildcats prepare to host the club's inaugural Multicultural Game, the focus is not only on what happens on the court, but on recognising the people and stories that shape the club every day.

“It’s something that will keep evolving,” Mills says. “And it’s something we’re proud to embrace as a club.”