When Steven Adams got drafted by the Oklahoma City Thunder, we didn't really know what to do or say. Unearthing basketball gems in New Zealand is a different process than a rugby star who is celebrated every day of his high school life, cheap fees, hot girls, the best food, handshakes with important people and so on. You could be forgiven for not knowing who Steven Adams was, even when he played ball at Pittsburgh, it was a case of out of sight out of mind for most kiwi sports fans.

All of a sudden Adams is drafted. He's then playing pretty much every game in his rookie season for one of the best teams in the NBA. He's now starting and while the stars definitely aren't aligning for OKC, they are for Adams in a completely selfish sense as OKC will now face a sustained period of time without their two best players.

Not by coinkidink the week the NBA tipped off, Adams and Spark ... Spark, wait Telecom? Ah who cares, partnered to bring us the Boroughs. A great initiative to partner basketball courts around Auckland with courts dripping in history around the USA. Basketball isn't a sport that takes a whole lot to get in to just a ball and a hoop but we have to depend on silly council folk to give us the courts which is the first barrier so any plan to get more courts and better courts around the country is awesome. 

But it's a two way street. There's no point having a heap of courts that aren't used, which is definitely the case. While kiwis are known to ball, it's not like courts are packed every day, every minute. It's easy to see this changing however.

The impact of Steven Adams on basketball in New Zealand is clearly visible already. We've been graced with a character who is apparently charismatic, down to earth and funny ... so you're saying he's just a kiwi? He's just a lad from Aotearoa? He's just like you and I from New Zealand? The guy who represents us in the NBA and around the basketballing world is pretty much a perfect reflection of New Zealand.

Steven Adams is the perfect guy to be the face of basketball in our nation. It's not overly dramatic to draw a few links between more kids playing basketball leading to more kids playing high school basketball leading to more competition for NBL roster spots and more competition for Breakers spots. Obviously we would love to see more kids going to colleges in the States and more NBA guys, but what's the point if our back yard isn't mowed and looked after?

The possibility is there for New Zealand to be a nation of tough, skillful ballers. We all know that we've got the athletes - from the big boys like Adams to the nippy little buggers who'll break ya ankles with a swift shimmy, we've all seen it, we all know someone. But it's a process, there needs to be a small shift in the sporting mentality of kids and kiwis in general. That shift begins with Adams being in the NBA and showing the traits we like to see in our Flying Kiwis to get initiatives under way. I would trust Adams without any doubt to set the wheels in motion, council/government, not so much.

The wheels are now in motion and it's exciting. It's exciting because there's a very real possibility that basketball continues to grow, similar to how I think the UFC can in NZ. They both offer opportunities for kids who don't want to go down the same path as every other kiwi kid. These sports need a helping hand, someone willing to be nice and generous, in Steven Adams, we have that. It's a start.