Steven Adams shares a joke with former teammate Ersan Ilyasova. Photo / Getty
Steven Adams' NBA season may not have ended the way he would have liked on the court, but he has a chance to claim prestigious awards off the court.
Adams, whose Oklahoma City Thunder side were ousted in the first round of the playoffs by the Portland Trail Blazers, has
been nominated for the NBA Sportsmanship Award, an award presented to the player who best represents the ideals of sportsmanship on the court.
He was nominated for the award last year as well, and this year will go up against Harrison Barnes, Mike Conley, Al Horford, Khris Middleton and Kemba Walker for the honour.
His most notable moment of sportsmanship which would have helped his cause came when he saved Denver Nuggets centre Mason Plumlee from a horror landing after his attempted block of an Adams shot went wrong.
Plumlee got caught by an Adams pumpfake, launching himself into Adams and suddenly tumbled toward the court headfirst after knocking his knee on the Kiwi's shoulder.
