Kiwi basketball great Steven Adams in Dunedin

Steven Adams has landed. The Kiwi NBA star is at the Edgar Centre today for Dunedin's first Steven Adams camp.

About 400 youngsters were dwarfed by the 2.13m centre, as he walked around the courts interacting with them.

Adams has about 30 local volunteer coaches and a large support crew helping him.

The kids split down on to different courts and were taken through various basketball drills and games.

Steven Adams in action with Waitaki Boys' High School pupil Danyon Ashcroft (14) at the Edgar...
Steven Adams in action with Waitaki Boys' High School pupil Danyon Ashcroft (14) at the Edgar Centre today. Photo: Peter McIntosh

Camp participants had travelled from Central and North Otago, as well as Southland to join those from Dunedin.

At the pre-camp press conference a group of kids were able to ask Adams a question each.

Among his answers were his funniest teammate being Andre Roberson, his favourite fellow NBA big men being Tim Duncan and Boban Marjanovic, and his record for most Weet-Bix in one go being 23.

The camp, one of three to be held around the country this year wraps up this afternoon.

All profits from the camps, which are run by the Sporting Pathways Trust, are put into youth development, education initiatives and basketball development.

A key figure in that trust, Rob Tuilave, was a former Otago Nugget.

He worked with Dunedin sports agent and lawyer Warren Alcock to get the camp to the city.

The camps are popular everywhere they are hosted and the Dunedin one sold out in a matter of hours.

Adams is back in the country during his off-season, having completed his fifth NBA season in May.

At 2.13m he rates up there with New Zealand's biggest athletes physically, as well as one of its most recognised figures.

He is coming off a big season for the Oklahoma City Thunder in which he averaged 13.9 points and 9.0 rebounds per game.

Comments

Awesome is the DCC comissioning a painting of this kiwi legend? So Dunedin kids can have a role model to look up too?