Steven Adams defends as Phoenix Suns forward Markieff Morris attempts to shoot. Photo / AP
Steven Adams defends as Phoenix Suns forward Markieff Morris attempts to shoot. Photo / AP
After offering the United States a slice of Kiwi in his first two seasons in the NBA, Steven Adams has showcased the entire culture in a new documentary recently released.
The Oklahoma City Thunder sent a film crew to follow Adams to New Zealand in the NBA off-season, aiming tocapture the essence of their starting centre in a project called The Kiwi Way: Steven Adams' New Zealand.
The film aired in Oklahoma over the weekend and is available to watch in its entirety on the Thunder website, with Adams showing off his homeland and illustrating the impact he has made on New Zealand basketball.
Footage includes Adams' basketball camps in Auckland and Wellington, where he worked with 60 underprivileged children, as well as interviews with Adams' high school principal, early coaches and mentor Kenny McFadden.
Adams also introduces American audiences to the hangi and discusses the similarities between his home town of Rotorua and his adopted home of Oklahoma City.
"Everyone wants to help each other out," Adams explains. "There's no hidden agenda sort of thing. Everyone just like doesn't care - like just make sure that you're okay. And I got the same feel when I was in Oklahoma. That's why I say Oklahoma is just like New Zealand is. Because they do the exact same thing. That's what made it easier for me in that transition."
