Steven Funaki Adams (born 20 July 1993) is a New Zealand professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player for the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

(NBA). After playing one season with his hometown team, the

Wellington Saints The Wellington Saints are a New Zealand basketball team based in Wellington. The Saints compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at TSB Bank Arena. Team history The Wellington Saints were founded in 1981. In 1 ...

, in 2011, Adams moved to the United States in 2012 to play

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

. Adams was selected by the

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team plays i ...

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. In August 2021, he was dealt to the

Early life

Steven Adams was born in Rotorua, New Zealand, to a Tongan mother and an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

father. His father, Sid Adams, served in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

and later 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 World champion, four-time World Indoor champion, two-time Olympic, three-time Commonwealth Games champion and twice IAAF ...

is a dual Olympic gold medallist and four-time world champion shot-putter and Lisa Adams 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. Sid Adams was in his sixties when his youngest child Steven was born, and Sid died in 2006 of stomach cancer. 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, his brother Warren rescued him from the streets of Rotorua and took him to

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by metr ...

. Warren 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 List of New Zeal ...

. McFadden accepted Adams into his basketball academy, and Warren 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 The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

, 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 Fitchburg is a city in northern Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The third-largest city in the county, its population was 41,946 at the 2020 census. Fitchburg is home to Fitchburg State University as well as 17 public and private e ...

, for one semester. It was arranged only so he could acclimate himself to American basketball before enrolling at

in June 2012. In his lone season at Pittsburgh, Adams was named the

Big East The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference that competes in NCAA Division I in ten men's sports and twelve women's sports. Headquartered in New York City, the eleven full-member schools are primarily located in Northeast and ...

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

of the National Basketball League. He went unpaid by the Saints in order to keep his college eligibility. He was named the NBL Rookie of the Year 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

, becoming the first 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 shoot ...

when Vonteego Cummings was selected by the Indiana Pacers 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 The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...

. 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 The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at L ...

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

, 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 The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home ...

in six games. At the conclusion of the 2013–14 season, Adams earned NBA All-Rookie Second Team honours. On 16 November 2014, Adams recorded a career-high six blocks in a 69–65 loss to the Houston Rockets. 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

. On 21 January 2015, he recorded a career-high 20 rebounds in a 105–103 overtime win over the

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...

. 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 The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

. On 12 April 2016, in the Thunder's regular-season finale, Adams had another 17-point performance in a 102–98 loss to the

. 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, he recorded 16 points and 12 rebounds. 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. He surpassed that mark on 9 December 2016, scoring 24 points in a 102–99 loss to the Houston Rockets. 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 The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...

111–107. On 2 February 2018, he had 23 points and 12 rebounds in a 114–100 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, reaching 3,000 career points. He joined

Kevin Durant Kevin Wayne Durant ( ; born September 29, 1988), also known by his initials KD, is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for t ...

and

Serge Ibaka Serge Jonás Ibaka Ngobila (; born 18 September 1989) is a Congolese-Spanish professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Ibaka was drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics with the 24th over ...

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. 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

, 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. On 14 December, he recorded 26 points and 14 rebounds in a 109–98 loss to the Denver Nuggets. On 19 December, he recorded 20 points and a career-high 23 rebounds in a 132–113 win over the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

. On 3 March 2019, he recorded 13 points and 22 rebounds in a 99–95 win over the

New Orleans Pelicans (2020–2021)

On 24 November 2020, Adams was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans. As part of the deal, he signed a two year, $35 million extension with the Pelicans. On January 29, 2021, Adams scored only 4 points, but grabbed a season high 20 rebounds in a 131-126 win over the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...

. On March 4, Adams scored a season high 15 points in a 103-93 loss to the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...

Memphis Grizzlies (2021–present)

On 7 August 2021, Adams was traded to the

. On 23 October, Adams scored a season high 17 points, grabbed 9 rebounds, and recorded 5 assists in a 120-114 win over the

. 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

. On 26 February 2022, Adams scored 12 points and grabbed a season high 21 rebounds, during a 116–110 win against the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January ...

. On 2 October 2022, Adams signed a multi-year contract with the Grizzlies.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...

, 81 , , 20 , , 14.8 , , .503 , , — , , .581 , , 4.1 , , .5 , , .5 , , .7 , , 3.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 70 , , 67 , , 25.3 , , .544 , , .000 , , .502 , , 7.5 , , .9 , , .5 , , 1.2 , , 7.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 80 , , 80 , , 25.2 , , .613 , , — , , .582 , , 6.7 , , .8 , , .5 , , 1.1 , , 8.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 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;",

, 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;",

, 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;",

, 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 New Orleans ( , ,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 Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

, 76 , , 75 , , 26.3 , , .547 , , .000 , , .543 , , 10.0 , , 3.4 , , .9 , , .8 , , 6.9 , - class="sortbottom" , colspan= "2" style="text-align:center;", Career , 664 , , 599 , , 26.8 , , .587 , , .071 , , .547 , , 8.0 , , 1.5 , , .9 , , .9 , , 9.3

Playoffs

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

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

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

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, 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;",

, 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 and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

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

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

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, 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

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, 32, , 32, , 23.4, , .571, , .000, , .443, , 6.3, , 0.6, , 0.7, , 2.0, , 7.2

Personal life

Adams enjoys playing

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

s; he says '' Dota 2'' and ''

Smite ''Smite'' is a 2014 free-to-play, third-person multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) video game developed and published by Hi-Rez Studios for Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch, and Amazon Luna.Instagram 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 Denver Nuggets 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. On 12 February 2022, Plumlee displayed a lack of gratitude for this, shoving Adams to the floor and throwing the basketball at him upon receiving a foul call he deemed to be unreasonable. Despite this, Adams did not react, and Plumlee received a technical foul for the altercation. Adams revealed that he was a fan of

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

singer and actress IU. 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 people of Tongan descent New Zealand sportspeople of Polynesian 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