Steven Funaki Adams (born 20 July 1993) is a New Zealand professional basketball player for the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...

of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After playing one season with the Wellington Saints, in 2011, Adams moved to the United States in 2012 to play college basketball for Pittsburgh. Adams was selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder with the 12th overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft. He was the Thunder's primary starting center for six consecutive seasons. In November 2020, after seven years in Oklahoma City, Adams was traded to the

New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division and play their hom ...

. In August 2021, he was dealt to the Memphis Grizzlies.

Early life

Steven Adams was born in

Rotorua Rotorua () is a city in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. The city lies on the southern shores of Lake Rotorua, from which it takes its name. It is the seat of the Rotorua Lakes District, a territorial authority encompass ...

, New Zealand, to a Tongan mother and an English father. His father, Sid Adams, was from Bristol and served in the Royal Navy. He settled in New Zealand where he fathered 18 children with five women. Sid Adams stood tall, and his children inherited his height: Steven Adams' brothers average tall, while his sisters average . Two of his half-sisters are athletes: Dame

Valerie Adams Dame Valerie Kasanita Adams (formerly Vili; born 6 October 1984) is a retired New Zealand shot putter. She is a four-time IAAF World Championships in Athletics, World champion, four-time IAAF World Indoor Championships, World Indoor champion, ...

is a dual Olympic gold medallist and four-time world champion shot-putter and

Lisa Adams Lisa Adams (born 1955) is an American painter who emerged in the mid 1980s. She is best known for her oil paintings of imaginary worlds that address both personal and collective realities. Her work has been exhibited nationally and international ...

is a para athlete who has won gold at the Paralympics in shot-put. His brothers, Warren and Sid Jr., had careers in the New Zealand National Basketball League. His sister, Gabriella Adams-Gavet, has played basketball for the

New Zealand national team New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

. Sid Adams was in his sixties when his youngest child Steven was born, and Sid died of stomach cancer when Steven was 13. Adams has identified his father's death as one of the defining events of his life. In a 2012 interview, Adams recalled:

When I lost my dad, that was a big hit for me. I didn't have that parental guidance, and I kind of took advantage of it because I was a stupid idiot. I decided not to go to school a couple of times, go when I felt like it. I always lied to my brothers and sisters. They'd ask: 'Are you going to school?' I'd say 'yeah'. They eventually found out.

After the death of his father, Blossom Cameron rescued him from the streets of Rotorua being given legal guardianship and took him to Wellington. Blossom Cameron took responsibility for Adams and introduced him to Wellington basketball legend

Kenny McFadden Kenny McFadden (18 August 1960 – 24 March 2022) was an American basketball player and coach. Born in the United States, he moved to New Zealand in 1982 to play for the Wellington Saints, where he played 15 seasons and won four NBL championshi ...

. McFadden accepted Adams into his basketball academy, and Blossom Cameron enrolled him in Scots College. The only rule McFadden had for Adams was that he had to attend school every day if he wanted to play basketball. While there was pressure for Adams to turn professional straight out of high school because it was believed he would never be able to qualify for the NCAA, Adams did well at Scots College and passed through the NCAA Clearinghouse after graduating from Scots in December 2011.

Preparatory school and college

After graduating from Scots College in December 2011, Adams enrolled at Notre Dame Preparatory School, a well-known basketball prep school in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, for one semester. It was arranged only so he could acclimate himself to American basketball before enrolling at Pittsburgh in June 2012. In his lone season at Pittsburgh, Adams was named the Big East Preseason Rookie of the Year and earned Big East All-Rookie Team honours. He started all 32 games during the 2012–13 season and averaged 7.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game. On 2 April 2013, Adams declared for the NBA draft, forgoing his final three years of college eligibility.

Professional career

Wellington Saints (2011)

In 2011, Adams played for the Wellington Saints of the National Basketball League. He went unpaid by the Saints in order to keep his college eligibility. He was named the New Zealand

NBL Rookie of the Year The National Basketball League Rookie of the Year is an annual National Basketball League (NBL) award given since the 1983 NBL season The 1983 NBL season was the fifth season of the National Basketball League (NBL). The regular season began ...

and helped the Saints win the championship. In 15 games for the Saints, he averaged 5.5 points and 4.1 rebounds per game.

Oklahoma City Thunder (2013–2020)

2013–16: early years

On 27 June 2013, Adams was selected with the 12th overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder, becoming the second New Zealander to be selected in the first round of an NBA draft. He also became the first player out of Pittsburgh to be selected in the first round since

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...

when

Vonteego Cummings Vonteego Marfeek Cummings (born February 29, 1976) is an American professional basketball player who last played for Atenienses de Manatí of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN) in Puerto Rico. A combo guard, he played in the National Basketb ...

was selected by the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first esta ...

with the 26th overall pick. On 12 July 2013, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Thunder. In his NBA debut on 30 October 2013, Adams recorded two points, three rebounds, one assist and three fouls in 18½ minutes off the bench against the Utah Jazz. On 8 November, in just his fifth NBA game, Adams recorded 17 points and 10 rebounds in a 119–110 win over the Detroit Pistons. He failed to surpass either mark for the rest of the regular season. He appeared in 81 games (20 starts) and averaged 3.3 points, 4.1 rebounds (9th among NBA rookies) and 0.70 blocks (9th among NBA rookies) in 14.8 minutes. In game 6 of the Thunder's second-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Clippers, Adams recorded 10 points and a season-high 11 rebounds. The Thunder reached the Western Conference Finals, where they were defeated by the San Antonio Spurs in six games. At the conclusion of the 2013–14 season, Adams earned

NBA All-Rookie Second Team The NBA All-Rookie Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1962–63 NBA season to the top rookies during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the NBA head coaches who are not allowed to vote for playe ...

honours. On 16 November 2014, Adams recorded a career-high six blocks in a 69–65 loss to the

. On 25 December 2014, he recorded a season-high 16 points and a then-career-high 15 rebounds in a 114–106 win over the San Antonio Spurs. On 21 January 2015, he recorded a career-high 20 rebounds in a 105–103 overtime win over the Washington Wizards. Adams missed 11 straight games over February and March with a broken ring finger on his right hand. He scored a season-high 16 points three times during the 2014–15 season. On 10 January 2016, Adams tied his career high of 17 points in a 115–110 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. On 12 April 2016, in the Thunder's regular-season finale, Adams had another 17-point performance in a 102–98 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. In game 2 of the Thunder's second-round playoff series against the Spurs, Adams recorded 12 points and 17 rebounds. In game 4, he scored 16 points. Adams helped the Thunder advance to the Western Conference Finals for the second time in three years, where in game 1 against the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...

, he recorded 16 points and 12 rebounds. In game 3, Adams was kicked in the testes by Draymond Green, who maintained that it was inadvertent. Despite going up 3–1 in the series, the Thunder were defeated in seven games by the Warriors.

2016–20: increase in production

On 31 October 2016, Adams signed a four-year, $100 million contract extension with the Thunder. On 22 November 2016, Adams scored a career-high 20 points in a 111–109 loss to the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

. He surpassed that mark on 9 December 2016, scoring 24 points in a 102–99 loss to the

. His 17 points in the first half were a career high for a half. On 1 December 2017, Adams scored a career-high 27 points on perfect shooting from the field and the free throw line to help the Thunder beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 111–107. On 2 February 2018, he had 23 points and 12 rebounds in a 114–100 loss to the

, reaching 3,000 career points. He joined Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka as the only Thunder players with at least 3,000 career points and 350 career blocks. On 13 February 2018, Adams recorded 22 points and 17 rebounds in a 120–112 loss to the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

. Twelve of his 17 rebounds against the Cavaliers were offensive, becoming the first ever Thunder player to grab 12 offensive rebounds in a game. In game 6 of the Thunder's first-round playoff series against the Utah Jazz, Adams recorded 19 points and 16 rebounds in a 96–91 loss, as the Thunder bowed out of the playoffs with a 4–2 defeat. On 17 November 2018, Adams scored 26 points in a 110–100 win over the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...

. On 14 December, he recorded 26 points and 14 rebounds in a 109–98 loss to the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

. On 19 December, he recorded 20 points and a career-high 23 rebounds in a 132–113 win over the Sacramento Kings. On 3 March 2019, he recorded 13 points and 22 rebounds in a 99–95 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.

New Orleans Pelicans (2020–2021)

On 24 November 2020, Adams was traded to the

. As part of the deal, he signed a two year, $35 million extension with the Pelicans. On 29 January 2021, Adams scored only 4 points, but grabbed a season-high 20 rebounds in a 131–126 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. On 4 March, Adams scored a season-high 15 points in a 103–93 loss to the Miami Heat.

Memphis Grizzlies (2021–2024)

On 7 August 2021, Adams was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies. On 23 October, Adams scored a season-high 17 points, grabbed 9 rebounds, and recorded 5 assists in a 120–114 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. On 6 December, Adams helped lead the Grizzlies to a fifth straight win while tying his season high with 17 points scored, alongside grabbing 16 rebounds, in a 105–90 victory over the Miami Heat. On 26 February 2022, Adams scored 12 points and grabbed a season-high 21 rebounds, during a 116–110 win against the Chicago Bulls. On 2 October 2022, Adams signed a two-year, $25.2 million contract extension with the Grizzlies. On 18 January 2023, he scored a game-winning tip-in to defeat the

, 115–114. On 22 January, Adams suffered a right knee injury during a 112–110 loss to the

. Two days later, the Grizzlies announced that he was diagnosed with a posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) sprain in his right knee and would be sidelined for three-to-five weeks. On 9 March, the Grizzlies announced that Adams had received a stem cell injection the day before and would be re-evaluated in four weeks, ending his regular-season run. His ongoing recovery caused him to miss the playoffs; the second-seeded Grizzlies were eliminated by the seventh-seeded Lakers in the first round, two games to four. Adams is expected to miss the entire

2023–24 NBA season The 2023–24 NBA season is the 78th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The regular season began on October 24, 2023, and ended on April 14, 2024. The NBA held their first-ever in-season tournament from November 3 to December 9 ...

as he undergoes surgery on his PCL, which was not responding to non-operative rehabilitation.

Houston Rockets (2024–present)

On 1 February 2024, Adams was traded to the

in exchange for

Victor Oladipo Kehinde Babatunde Victor Oladipo (born May 4, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Indiana Hoosiers, where in the 2012-2013 sea ...

and three future second-round picks.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Oklahoma City , 81 , , 20 , , 14.8 , , .503 , , — , , .581 , , 4.1 , , .5 , , .5 , , .7 , , 3.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Oklahoma City , 70 , , 67 , , 25.3 , , .544 , , .000 , , .502 , , 7.5 , , .9 , , .5 , , 1.2 , , 7.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Oklahoma City , 80 , , 80 , , 25.2 , , .613 , , — , , .582 , , 6.7 , , .8 , , .5 , , 1.1 , , 8.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Oklahoma City , 80 , , 80 , , 29.9 , , .571 , , .000 , , .611 , , 7.7 , , 1.1 , , 1.1 , , 1.0 , , 11.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Oklahoma City , 76 , , 76 , , 32.7 , , .629 , , .000 , , .559 , , 9.0 , , 1.2 , , 1.2 , , 1.0 , , 13.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Oklahoma City , 80 , , 80 , , 33.4 , , .595 , , .000 , , .500 , , 9.5 , , 1.6 , , 1.5 , , 1.0 , , 13.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Oklahoma City , 63 , , 63 , , 26.7 , , .592 , , .333 , , .582 , , 9.3 , , 2.3 , , .8 , , 1.1 , , 10.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", New Orleans , 58 , , 58 , , 27.7 , , .614 , , .000 , , .444 , , 8.9 , , 1.9 , , .9 , , .7 , , 7.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Memphis , 76 , , 75 , , 26.3 , , .547 , , .000 , , .543 , , 10.0 , , 3.4 , , .9 , , .8 , , 6.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Memphis , 42 , , 42 , , 27.0 , , .597 , , .000 , , .364 , , 11.5 , , 2.3 , , .9 , , 1.1 , , 8.6 , - class="sortbottom" , colspan= "2" style="text-align:center;", Career , 706 , , 641 , , 26.8 , , .587 , , .067 , , .536 , , 8.2 , , 1.5 , , .9 , , 1.0 , , 9.2

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, style="text-align:left;", Oklahoma City , 18 , , 0 , , 18.4 , , .689 , , — , , .348 , , 4.1 , , .2 , , .1 , , 1.3 , , 3.9 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

, style="text-align:left;", Oklahoma City , 18 , , 18 , , 30.7 , , .613 , , .000 , , .630 , , 9.5 , , .7 , , .5 , , .8 , , 10.1 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

, style="text-align:left;", Oklahoma City , 5 , , 5 , , 31.4 , , .643 , , — , , .364 , , 6.8 , , 1.4 , , 1.2 , , 1.8 , , 8.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

, style="text-align:left;", Oklahoma City , 6 , , 6 , , 33.4 , , .587 , , — , , .692 , , 7.5 , , 1.5 , , .7 , , .7 , , 10.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

, style="text-align:left;", Oklahoma City , 5 , , 5 , , 31.8 , , .667 , , .000 , , .375 , , 7.2 , , 1.4 , , 1.0 , , 1.0 , , 11.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

, style="text-align:left;", Oklahoma City , 7 , , 7 , , 30.0 , , .596 , , .000 , , .450 , , 11.6 , , 1.3 , , .6 , , .3 , , 10.1 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

, style="text-align:left;", Memphis , 7 , , 5 , , 16.3 , , .429 , , — , , .545 , , 6.4 , , 2.1 , , .1 , , .1 , , 3.4 , - class="sortbottom" , colspan= "2" style="text-align:center;", Career , 66 , , 46 , , 26.1 , , .614 , , .000 , , .535 , , 7.4 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , .9 , , 7.7

College stats

, - , style="text-align:left;",

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

, style="text-align:left;", Pittsburgh , 32, , 32, , 23.4, , .571, , .000, , .443, , 6.3, , 0.6, , 0.7, , 2.0, , 7.2

Personal life

Adams enjoys playing video games; he says ''

Dota 2 ''Dota 2'' is a 2013 multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) video game by Valve. The game is a sequel to ''Defense of the Ancients'' (''DotA''), a community-created mod for Blizzard Entertainment's '' Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos.'' ''Dota 2' ...

'' and '' Smite'' are his favourites. He also often posted his '' Fortnite'' and online Chess wins on

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

between 2018 and 2020. In 2018, his autobiography ''Steven Adams: My Life, My Fight'' was released, co-written by childhood friend and journalist

Madeleine Chapman Madeleine Elsie Chapman (born 16 March 1994) is a New Zealand editor, journalist and author, and the current editor of ''The Spinoff'' and former editor of '' North & South''. Chapman co-wrote the autobiography of New Zealand professional basket ...

. Adams is generally well respected around the league for his sense of humour, down-to-earth personality and humility. On 14 December 2018, playing against the

he received praise for catching his opponent

Mason Plumlee Mason Alexander Plumlee (born March 5, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He primarily plays the forward and center positions. As a freshman in 2009–10, h ...

after Plumlee jumped to contest a layup and fell over Adams. Despite having an uncontested shot, Adams chose to drop the ball and catch Plumlee, preventing a serious injury. An interview with Adams was featured in the 2022 documentary film '' Dame Valerie Adams: More than Gold'', where he discusses the childhood of his sister, Olympic shot putter

References

External links

Steven Adams
at pittsburghpanthers.com
"Steven Adams in 'The Kiwi Way' – how a boy from Rotorua made it to the NBA"
at stuff.co.nz
"Steven Adams’ former coach discusses his unique path to the NBA"
at foxsports.com
"Steven Adams is a big man from a big family, and he’s making a huge impression on the NBA"
at dailytelegraph.com.au {{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, Steven 1993 births Living people Centers (basketball) Memphis Grizzlies players National Basketball Association players from New Zealand New Orleans Pelicans players New Zealand men's basketball players New Zealand expatriate basketball people in the United States New Zealand people of English descent New Zealand sportspeople of Tongan descent Oklahoma City Thunder draft picks Oklahoma City Thunder players People educated at Scots College, Wellington Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball players Sportspeople from Rotorua Sportspeople from Wellington City Wellington Saints players