Over the past five years with the OKC Thunder, Steven Adams has endeared himself with the fans for his tenacious play on the court and humor in interviews.
Call it purposeful ignorance or staying woke, many NBA players are unafraid to voice their far-fetched opinions on scientific or political topics. Freedom of speech is fine in and of itself, but given the powerful platform players in the league have, sharing wild opinions doesn’t always go over well. Between Kyrie Irving claiming the earth is flat and Steph Curry claiming the moon landing was a hoax, this controversy has surfaced again.
Luckily, the OKC Thunder haven’t had any potentially distracting media attention from one of these instances. But we do have a bit of a class clown in Steven Adams. Although a monster on the court, Adams shows a more playful side to him when talking with the media. He says exactly what he’s thinking and often makes an entire group of professionals laugh in doing so.
With crazy things being said regularly, here’s a list of the top-five funniest quotes by Adams. All of these and more can also be heard in the video below.
5. A slight jab at Nick Collison
Context: During an interview in training camp, a reporter mentions to Adams that he’s one of the oldest players on the roster. His reply put everything into perspective.
Quote: “I still feel young. Being around Nick , you always feel young. He makes you feel young.”
4. Thoughts on fatherhood
Context: While trying to explain his workouts with former teammate Domantas Sabonis, Adams equates it to being a parent.
Quote: “With Sabonis, I have to teach him a few things. They’re giving me some responsibility to teach him some stuff. I kind of feel like a father, so congratulations to me.”
3. His math skills, or lack thereof
Context: When a reporter attempts to do a deep dive into statistics and analytics, Adams explains he’s more brawn than brains.
Quote: “I’m not a numbers guy, mate. I’ve got nothing upstairs.”
2. Equating a loss to an ex
Context: How does Adams move on after a loss? Well, it’s simple.
Quote: “Try to forget it. Treat it like an ex-girlfriend and move on.”
1. Adams’ American accent
Context: Since the video surfaced a couple weeks ago, Thunder fans haven’t stopped laughing at Adams’ attempt to use an American accent. This video belongs in the basketball Hall of Fame.
The New Zealander offers a dry perspective on issues, possessing next to no filter and often expresses his opinion in a forward, light-hearted fashion.
Let’s hope the big man is here to stay as he and Oklahoma City are a match made in heaven.