The Oklahoman is reporting that NZ's Steven Adams has signed a contract extension for $22.4 million a year. This must surely put New Zealand players on the map. New Zealand basketball talent is a lot better than you'd think, there should be more Kiwis playing in the NBA. Let's hope the scouts find their way Downunder more often.
This deal puts Adams in the front rank of the genuine big men of the NBA. It is reported that he could have got more had he waited, as teammate Andre Roberson is doing, but my guess is Adams wants to create a legacy, not just earn the big bucks. He can create that legacy in two ways; either he stays with OKC for the foreseeable future and picks up a championship there, and he's actually more attractive as a trade, being slightly cheaper after the ink dries on this deal. That means better teams can take him on under their salary cap if things don't work out at OKC down the line.
It's all about the championships, and playing for your country, and this is where NZ has to hope a deal can be secured, putting Adams in the black singlet of New Zealand. Every player wants to play for their country (if fit of course). Look at the NBA talent turning out for their countries, Australia has no problem getting their NBA players to turn out. It has been mooted that NZ can no longer afford insurance on Adams. But this is where it gets interesting; given what Adams will now be earning, he can pay the premiums himself as a donation to the national body, such payment being tax deductible. So it's a win-win.Whatever issues exist between NZ Basketball and Adams, they have to be resolved.
Oh and now Adams is in the top rank of the top rank, he's going to get hit on. Imagine the Kanye/Foxx rap video Gold Digger. Well the totty in that video is just what actors and rappers qualify for, NBA stars of Adams ilk will be inundated by totty ten times hotter than that. He'll need to get himself a wife or a personal lifestyle manager. A single man, the amount of money we're talking about and that kind of fame, well let's just say he could wear it out.
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