New Zealand native and center for the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder, Steven Funaki Adams is a professional basketball player. Being one of the most physically imposing players in the NBA, Adams is notorious for his unyielding style of play.
Adams has been a reliable presence on the glass for several championship teams, and he has played with several all-stars throughout the course of his career. Following that, we will discuss Adams’s academic career, including his time spent in college.
At Rotorua, New Zealand, Steven Adams began playing basketball for the Rotorua Lakes high school team. Despite his challenging upbringing, he enrolled in Scots College in Wellington, New Zealand, and improved his academic standing to the point that he could transfer to a high school in the United States. He accomplished this while enrolled at Notre Dame Preparatory School in nearby Fitchburg, Massachusetts. For one semester, he played there to acclimate to American basketball standards.
Adams attended the University of Pittsburgh for his collegiate basketball career. After one season with Pitt, in which he started all 32 games, he was named the Big East’s preseason rookie of the year. After averaging over seven points and six rebounds per game in his freshman year, he was recognized by his peers as deserving of a spot on the Big East all-rookie team.
Adams Decided To Leave The College basketball To Enter The NBA
Adams said he was leaving college basketball after the 2012–2013 season to enter the NBA draft. The Oklahoma City Thunder used the 12th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft to select Steven Adams. Oklahoma City Thunder, then headed by Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, were looking for a rebounder and rim protector to complement Serge Ibaka.
OKC reached the Western Conference Finals in Adams’ rookie year but ultimately lost to the San Antonio Spurs. Once the Spurs defeated the Miami Heat in the next round of the playoffs, they went on to win the NBA Finals.
When the team lost to the Golden State Warriors in the 2015 playoffs, Durant decided to leave and join them, increasing the value of Adams’ efforts. Adams made the most of his expanded offensive role, setting a new career best with 27 points last season. Yet, despite the Thunder’s regular-season success and the fact that games featuring Adams and Westbrook were shown on national television networks like ESPN, the duo was unable to carry Oklahoma City to a championship.
After trading Westbrook to the Houston Rockets for Chris Paul and sending Paul George to the Los Angeles Clippers in 2019, the Thunder relied heavily on Steven Adams’ ability to force opponents to work for every basket they made inside the paint. While facing the Los Angeles Lakers and other strong teams in the West with dominant post players, OKC relies heavily on Adams.
What About Steven’s Networth, Endorsements And Assets?
In 2016, the Oklahoma City Thunder agreed to pay Steven Adams $100 million over the course of four years. He will have made over $100 million by the time his NBA contracts expire, having already earned more than $56 million.
Adams is worth about $27 million, according to experts. In addition to his salary with the Thunder, Adams has also profited from endorsement deals with Adidas and Powerade. The following are some of the highlights from The Legend of Steven Adams-
Something More Things Steven!
Sid Adams and Lilika Ngauamo had Adams in Rotorua, New Zealand. He had 18 children with his New Zealand Royal Navy father. Adams has four siblings. Valerie Adams, a shot put Olympic champion, is that sister. New Zealand-based brothers Warren and Sid Jr. played professional basketball.
Trivia About Steven Adams
- Steven Adams is the highest-paid athlete from New Zealand
- He is far from shy, doing colorful interviews and appearing on podcasts such as the Lowe Post Podcast along with podcasts related to the Oklahoma City Thunder specifically.
- Adams has said that Oklahoma City reminds him of New Zealand, a feeling that is likely hard to replicate in New York or Los Angeles.
- He sold a comic book about himself, Kiwi Legend, at San Diego Comic-Con in 2018.
- Steven Adams is a huge anime fan by his own admission. He once elected to watch anime instead of the opening game of the NBA season. Luckily for the Thunder, they were not playing in the game that Adams missed.
