Steven Adams

Steven Funaki Adams (born 20 July 1993) is a New Zealand professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After playing one season with his hometown team Wellington Saints in 2011, Adams moved to the United States in 2012 to play college basketball for Pittsburgh. In June 2013, he was selected by the Thunder with the 12th overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft.

This article is about the professional basketball player. For the English musician, see Steven Adams (musician). For other people, see Stephen Adams (disambiguation).

Steven Adams
Adams with the Thunder in February 2017
No. 12 – Oklahoma City Thunder
PositionCenter
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1993-07-20) 20 July 1993
Rotorua, New Zealand
NationalityNew Zealand
Listed height6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight265 lb (120 kg)
Career information
High schoolRotorua Lakes
(Rotorua, New Zealand)
Scots College
(Wellington, New Zealand)
Notre Dame Prep
(Fitchburg, Massachusetts)
CollegePittsburgh (2012–2013)
NBA draft2013 / Round: 1 / Pick: 12th overall
Selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder
Playing career2011–present
Career history
2011Wellington Saints
2013–presentOklahoma City Thunder
Career highlights and awards
  • NBA All-Rookie Second Team (2014)
  • NBL champion (2011)
  • NBL Rookie of the Year (2011)
  • Big East All-Rookie Team (2013)
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Early life

Steven Adams was born in Rotorua, New Zealand, to a Tongan mother and an English father. His father, Sid Adams, served in the Royal Navy and later settled in New Zealand where he fathered 18 children with five women.[1] Sid Adams stood 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) tall, and his children inherited his height: Steven Adams' brothers average 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) tall, while his sisters average 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in).[2] His half-sister, Valerie Adams, is a dual Olympic gold medallist and four-time world champion shot-putter,[2] while his brothers, Warren and Sid Jr., had careers in the New Zealand National Basketball League.[3][4]

Sid Adams was in his sixties when his youngest child Steven was born, and he died in 2006 of stomach cancer.[1] 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.[2]

After the death of his father, his brother Warren rescued him from the streets of Rotorua and brought him to Wellington.[5] Warren began to take responsibility for Adams and introduced him to Wellington basketball legend Kenny McFadden. 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, Adams did well at Scots College and passed through the NCAA Clearinghouse after graduating from Scots in December 2011.[2]

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.[2] It was arranged only so he could acclimate himself to American basketball before enrolling at Pittsburgh in June 2012.[2]

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.[6] He started all 32 games during the 2012–13 season and averaged 7.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game.[7]

On 2 April 2013, Adams declared for the NBA draft, forgoing his final three years of college eligibility.[8][9]

Professional career

Wellington Saints (2011)

2011 season

In 2011, Adams played for the Wellington Saints of the National Basketball League.[10] He went unpaid by the Saints in order to keep his college eligibility.[5][10] 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.[11]

Oklahoma City Thunder (2013–present)

2013–14 season
Adams (right) with the Thunder in February 2014, contesting with Kevin Séraphin of the Washington Wizards

On 27 June 2013, Adams was selected with the 12th overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder, 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 when Vonteego Cummings was selected by the Indiana Pacers with the 26th overall pick.[12] On 12 July 2013, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Thunder.[13] 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.[14] 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.[14][15] He failed to surpass either mark for the rest of the regular season.[14] 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.[6] 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.[14] The Thunder reached the Western Conference Finals, where they were defeated by the San Antonio Spurs in six games.[14] At the conclusion of the 2013–14 season, Adams earned NBA All-Rookie Second Team honours.[16]

2014–15 season

On 16 November 2014, Adams recorded a career-high six blocks in a 69–65 loss to the Houston Rockets.[17] 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.[18] On 21 January 2015, he recorded a career-high 20 rebounds in a 105–103 overtime win over the Washington Wizards.[19] Adams missed 11 straight games over February and March with a broken ring finger on his right hand.[20][21] He scored a season-high 16 points three times during the 2014–15 season.[21]

2015–16 season

On 10 January 2016, Adams tied his career high of 17 points in a 115–110 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.[22] 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.[23][24] In Game 2 of the Thunder's second-round playoff series against the Spurs, Adams recorded 12 points and 17 rebounds.[25] In Game 4, he scored 16 points.[25] 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.[25] Despite going up 3–1 in the series, the Thunder were defeated in seven games by the Warriors.[25]

2016–17 season

On 31 October 2016, Adams signed a four-year, $100 million contract extension with the Thunder.[26][27] On 22 November 2016, Adams scored a career-high 20 points in a 111–109 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.[28][29] 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.[30]

2017–18 season

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.[31] 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 and Serge Ibaka as the only Thunder players with at least 3,000 career points and 350 career blocks.[32] On 13 February 2018, Adams recorded 22 points and 17 rebounds in a 120–112 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.[33] Twelve of his 17 rebounds against the Cavaliers were offensive, becoming the first ever Thunder player to grab 12 offensive rebounds in a match.[34][35] 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.[36]

2018–19 season

On 17 November 2018, Adams scored 26 points in a 110–100 win over the Phoenix Suns.[37] On 14 December, he recorded 26 points and 14 rebounds in a 109–98 loss to the Denver Nuggets.[38] On 19 December, he recorded 20 points and a career-high 23 rebounds in a 132–113 win over the Sacramento Kings.[39] On 3 March 2019, he recorded 13 points and 22 rebounds in a 99–95 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.[40]

Career statistics
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

NBA

Regular season
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2013–14 Oklahoma City 812014.8.503.000.5814.1.5.5.73.3
2014–15 Oklahoma City 706725.3.544.000.5027.5.9.51.27.7
2015–16 Oklahoma City 808025.2.613.000.5826.7.8.51.18.0
2016–17 Oklahoma City 80 8029.9.571.000.6117.71.11.11.011.3
2017–18 Oklahoma City 767632.7.629.000.5599.01.21.21.013.9
2018–19 Oklahoma City 8080 33.4 .595.000.5009.51.61.51.013.9
Career 46740326.8.588.000.5537.41.0.91.09.7

Playoffs
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2014 Oklahoma City 18018.4.689.000.3484.1.2.11.33.9
2016 Oklahoma City 181830.7.613.000.6309.5.7.5.810.1
2017 Oklahoma City 5531.4.643.000.3646.81.41.21.88.0
2018 Oklahoma City 6633.4.587.000.6927.51.5.7.710.5
2019 Oklahoma City 5531.8.667.000.3757.21.41.01.011.5
Career 523426.9.632.000.5586.9.8.51.17.6

College
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2012–13 Pittsburgh 323223.4.571.000.4436.30.60.72.07.2

Personal life

Adams enjoys playing video games; he cites Dota 2 and Smite as his favourite games.[41]

In 2018, his autobiography Steven Adams: My Life, My Fight was released.[42][43][44]

gollark: Anyway, central planning has another issue: planners are more insulated from the effects of their decisions than someone in a firm.
gollark: I think this is a bad idea with problems.
gollark: It's not impossible to *compute*. There are other problems.
gollark: Not on the level of juggling millions of types of goods and millions of people.
gollark: Yes, but that's smaller and easier to handle.

References
  1. Lewis, Bryan (17 May 2017). "A gang, 17 siblings: Behind toughness that defines Steven Adams". New York Post. Archived from the original on 9 January 2019.
  2. Fittipaldo, Ray (7 October 2012). "Pitt big man Steven Adams' backstory is as interesting as his future is intriguing". Post-Gazette.com. Retrieved 11 December 2012.
  3. Hinton, Marc (28 November 2010). "Teenager Adams tipped for basketball big time". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  4. Heagney, George (25 October 2013). "Te Huna's team ready to bounce". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  5. "Steven Adams Bio". PittsburghPanthers.com. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  6. "Steven Adams stats, details, videos, and news". NBA.com. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  7. "2012-13 Men's Basketball Roster – Steven Adams". PittsburghPanthers.com. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  8. Grimes, Tim (3 April 2013). "NBA Draft 2013: Steven Adams Declares, and Is an Underrated Prospect". BleacherReport.com. Retrieved 24 June 2014.
  9. Abercrombie, Nicola (3 April 2013). "Kiwi Steven Adams declares for NBA draft". Stuff.co.nz. Archived from the original on 15 June 2013.
  10. Worthington, Sam (9 February 2011). "One size-20 step to Saints, giant leap for NBA". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  11. "Player statistics for Steven Adams". SportsTG.com. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  12. Golliver, Ben (27 June 2013). "Steven Adams selected No. 12 by Thunder in NBA draft". SI.com. Archived from the original on 1 July 2013. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  13. "Thunder Signs Steven Adams and Andre Roberson". NBA.com. 12 July 2013. Retrieved 4 August 2013.
  14. "Steven Adams 2013-14 Game Log". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  15. "OKC Thunder: Steven Adams shines again as Thunder trims Pistons". NewsOK.com. 8 November 2013. Retrieved 14 December 2013.
  16. "Steven Adams Named to All-Rookie Second Team". NBA.com. 22 May 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  17. "Harden leads Rockets past Thunder". NBA.com. 16 November 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  18. "Westbrook scores 34, lifts Thunder over Spurs". NBA.com. 25 December 2014. Retrieved 25 December 2014.
  19. "KD2DC game yields Thunder win, 105-103 over Wizards in OT". NBA.com. 21 January 2015. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
  20. Young, Royce (9 February 2015). "Steven Adams has surgery". ESPN.com. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
  21. "Steven Adams 2014-15 Game Log". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  22. "Steven Adams equals career-high with 17 points as Oklahoma City Thunder fall to Portland". Stuff.co.nz. 11 January 2016. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
  23. "Leonard scores 26, helps Spurs beat Thunder in OT, 102-98". NBA.com. 12 April 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  24. Twort, Matt (13 April 2016). "Steven Adams Ties Career-High". NZhoops.co.nz. Archived from the original on 20 May 2016.
  25. "Steven Adams 2015-16 Game Log". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  26. "Thunder Signs Adams, Oladipo to Multi-Year Contract Extensions". NBA.com. 31 October 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  27. Wojnarowski, Adrian (31 October 2016). "Sources: Steven Adams finalizing $100M extension with Thunder". Yahoo.com. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  28. Gallo, Nick (22 November 2016). "Thunder at Los Angeles Lakers Game Recap – Nov. 22, 2016". NBA.com. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  29. Hinton, Marc (23 November 2016). "Steve Adams gets career-high 20 points, but LA Lakers steal back win". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  30. "Rockets overcome Westbrook's 7th straight triple-double". ESPN.com. 9 December 2016. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
  31. "George, Adams lead Thunder past Timberwolves 111-107". ESPN.com. 1 December 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  32. "Davis' 43 points lead Pelicans past Thunder 114-100". ESPN.com. 2 February 2018. Retrieved 2 February 2018.
  33. "James' 37 lead Cavaliers past Thunder 120-112". ESPN.com. 13 February 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  34. Reive, Christopher (14 February 2018). "Basketball: Steven Adams goes big but Thunder fall against Cleveland". nzherald.co.nz. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  35. "'Possessed' Steven Adams makes history but Oklahoma City Thunder fall to defeat". Stuff.co.nz. 14 February 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  36. "Mitchell scores 38, Jazz beat Thunder 96-91 to win series". ESPN.com. 27 April 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  37. "George, Adams lead Thunder past Phoenix 110-100". ESPN.com. 17 November 2018. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  38. "Westbrook, Murray tussle as Nuggets beat Thunder 109-98". ESPN.com. 14 December 2018. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  39. "George scores 43, Westbrook has triple-double in Thunder win". ESPN.com. 19 December 2018. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  40. "Westbrook helps Thunder rally for 99-95 win over Grizzlies". ESPN.com. 3 March 2019. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  41. Yang, Avery (1 August 2017). "Oklahoma City Thunder's Steven Adams Likes ELEAGUE, Dota 2, Smite". sporttechie.com. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
  42. Romanos, Joseph (9 August 2018). "Book of the Week: Joseph Romanos reviews the Steven Adams bio". Retrieved 11 September 2018.
  43. Chapman, Madeleine (24 July 2018). "His life, his fight: Madeleine Chapman on co-writing Steven Adams' autobiography". The Spinoff. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
  44. "Steven Adams: My Life, My Fight". Retrieved 11 September 2018.
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