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- Kiwi Star Steven Adams Reminds Commissioner Adam Silver of Dennis Rodman
Kiwi Star Steven Adams Reminds Commissioner Adam Silver of Dennis Rodman
NBA
Commissioner Adam Silver didn’t really want to bring Dennis Rodman into
the conversation, but he couldn’t help but compare the controversial
figure to Steven Adams. Indeed, Steven Adams is quite the notable
player. He definitely shakes the odds up whenever he takes to the court.
The only player in the league from New Zealand at the present, Steven
has caught the interest of the fifth commissioner of the National
Basketball Association. Silver said in a Radio interview that not only
had Adams’ popularity risen beyond his native country but that he was
quickly building a cult following much in the same vein of Dennis
Rodman.
Silver was a little hesitant to put Adams and Rodman in the same
picture, especially considering all the controversy surrounding Rodman
as a human being and basketball player. However, Adams is definitely a
big personality, much like Rodman.
Dennis’ 14-year NBA career
saw him play for the Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, the Bulls and
even the Lakers, winning a number of championships in the process.
It wasn’t his colorful hair or heavy tattoos that made Rodman such a
standout, though. Rather, his controversial behavior quickly overtook
his activities as a sports athlete. Adams doesn’t quite fall into the
same bracket as Rodman.
However, he has proven that he has quite the bright future, and that
partially has to do with the amazing team he has had the pleasure of
playing with; the presence of players like Russell Westbrook has given
Adams an opportunity to develop into a world class player.
Silver can say so many positive things about Adams because he has
actually spent time with him outside the court. He appreciated Adam’s
enthusiasm and the respect he seemed to enjoy from his fans and
teammates, probably because of the special swagger he seems to have.
During Silver’s interview, the conversation veered
way from Adams as Sean Marks became the topic of discussion. The New
Zealand Pioneer is one of only two general managers in the NBA that
were born outside the United States.
Sean Marks manages the Brooklyn Nets in New York City. The year has
presented a number of challenges for Sean who has had to spearhead a
rebuilding effort. Having won a pair of NBA championships with the
Spurs, though, it is easy to understand why people trust his judgment
even during these more tumultuous moments of the season.
Silver believes that Sean Marks’ presence proves that the NBA’s global
appeal is growing exponentially. Marks shows that anyone can make it
through the NBA system to reach the upper echelons of the league if
they just work hard enough.
Silver was a little non-committal about the idea of bringing an NBA
game to Australia or New Zealand. To be fair, there are a lot of
countries reaching out to the NBA about the idea of hosting a league
game outside the United States, so maybe Silver has his eyes set on
other markets, China in particular.
The NBA is growing at a surprising rate outside the
United States, and it says something about the game’s appeal that so
many foreign players are finding success in the NBA.