Kiwi Star Steven Adams Reminds Commissioner Adam Silver of Dennis Rodman

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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 (MyBookie offers the Latest NBA Odds, for those interested).

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.

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