Steven Adams

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Adams' journey to Oklahoma City began in Rotorua, where he faced significant personal tragedy before finding his path. After his father Sid died of stomach cancer in 2007 when Adams was 13, he briefly joined the Mongrel Mob gang. He was rescued from the streets by Blossom Cameron, who took him to Wellington and connected him with coach Kenny McFadden. At Scots College, Adams adhered to a strict rule: attend school every day to play basketball. This discipline allowed him to pass through the NCAA Clearinghouse after graduating in December 2011. Following a semester at Notre Dame Preparatory School in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, he enrolled at Pittsburgh for the 2012–13 season. There, he started all 32 games, averaging 7.2 points and 6.3 rebounds before declaring for the draft.

In Their Own Story

In his NBA debut on October 30, 2013, Adams recorded two points and three rebounds in an 18½-minute bench appearance during a 101–98 victory over the Utah Jazz. Just nine days later, in his fifth game, he exploded for 17 points and 10 rebounds against the Detroit Pistons, marks he would not surpass for the rest of that regular season. His physical dominance became evident on January 21, 2015, when he grabbed a career-high 20 rebounds in an overtime win over the Washington Wizards. During the 2016 Western Conference Finals against Golden State, Adams recorded 16 points and 12 rebounds in Game 1. In Game 3 of that series, he was kicked in the testes by Draymond Green, who claimed the contact was inadvertent. Despite going up 3–1 in the series, the Thunder were defeated in seven games.

Reader's Guide

Selected 12th overall in 2013, Adams quickly became a staple of the Thunder's frontcourt. He earned NBA All-Rookie Second Team honors following his first season. On November 16, 2014, he recorded a career-high six blocks against Houston. By December 9, 2016, he had scored a then-career-high 24 points against the Rockets, with 17 of those coming in the first half. On December 1, 2017, Adams achieved perfection from the field and free-throw line to score 27 points against Minnesota. He continued to dominate the glass on February 18, 2019, grabbing a career-high 23 rebounds in a victory over Sacramento. On August 7, 2021, after seven years in Oklahoma City, he was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies.

Did You Know?

• Adams' father, Sid Adams, stood 6 ft 11 in tall and was reported to have fathered between 16 and 21 children.
• Two of his half-sisters are elite athletes: Dame Valerie Adams (dual Olympic gold medalist) and Lisa Adams (Paralympic shot-put gold medalist).
• Adams played for the Wellington Saints in 2011 but went unpaid to maintain his college eligibility.
• On December 3, 2017, he became the first Thunder player ever to grab 12 offensive rebounds in a single game.