Is there any chance one of the footy codes could lure New Zealand’s Steven Adams away from the NBA?
His length and bulk would make for a fearsome scrummer in the rugby codes or more possibly, a forward or a ruck in the AFL.
Breathe easy, any NRL or AFL club that would hate to be on the wrong side from Adams.
The Oklahoma City Thunder big man inked a four-year deal with his NBA club during the 2017 – 2018 NBA season that pays him $US 100 million over four years.
Adams could easily purchase an AFL or NRL club outright and never miss the money.
Add to that the fact that he does okay as a basketball player and he played a major role in the Thunder erasing a large deficit and posting the biggest comeback in the club’s history in a 109 – 106 victory over the Chicago Bulls.
In a tight finish, the Bulls had the right idea, sending Adams to the free-throw line. Adams banked the first one in, and then grabbed a rebound on his miss to complete a comeback from 26 points down.
It was actually Chris Paul who did the heavy lifting in the fourth quarter for Oklahoma City and the come-from-behind win was the biggest in the NBA this season, but even though Adams was a bit below his usual output in terms of points, rebounds, etc., he did what was required in finalising the remarkable victory. He scored nine points and grabbed 11 rebounds, but that 11th rebound was the one that counted.
Cris Paul made five three-pointers in the fourth quarter as the Thunder ate into a deficit that was 26, 19 at the half and 8 going into the fourth quarter.
In the final four seconds, Pal lobbed an inbounds pass to Adams, who was fouled during his attempt to catch the entry.
Were we the Chicago Bulls, we would have done the same thing in fouling Adams, who is the owner of a 51.5 percent free-throw percentage.
True to form, Adams banked in the first free throw, although no player ever deliberately attempts to bank a free throw. The second attempt clanked of the back of the rim and came straight to Adams. He threw the ball back out to Paul, who made two free throws to secure the win.