Steven Adams believes there is plenty of opportunity to grow basketball in New Zealand. Photo / Photosport
Steven Adams believes there is plenty of opportunity to grow basketball in New Zealand. Photo / Photosport
During the NBA offseason earlier this year, it was not an uncommon sight to see Kiwi NBA star Steven Adams courtside at a local basketball game.
A former New Zealand national basketball league rookie of the year, Adams has gone on to have a massively successful career in basketball andis in his 10th year in the NBA.
Speaking to the Herald about the game in New Zealand, Adams said there were opportunities to be taken advantage of in order to grow basketball locally.
“It’s super important, especially that women’s league (Tauihi Basketball Aotearoa) that just started up. That one’s huge,” Adams said of the national leagues.
“But I’m just a fan of basketball; women’s basketball, men’s basketball, it’s all basketball. It’s just beautiful seeing the game grow in New Zealand, because there is a lot of opportunity there that I think New Zealand can take advantage of.
“Anytime I go back and see familiar faces and support new up-and-coming talent and whatnot, I really enjoy that stuff, man. Yes, it’s me supporting, but I get a lot out of it.”
Steven Adams has hosted numerous camps for the country's young basketball players. Photo / Photosport
Tauihi Basketball Aotearoa had its inaugural season this year, and was set up as a means to help better prepare players to one day make the step up to the international stage.
It was something general manager of the New Zealand National Basketball Leagues Huw Beynon said was needed in order for New Zealand to better compete on the world stage.
“We weren’t preparing our players well enough for the international stage,” Beynon admitted. “Tall Ferns had to go overseas to get adequate pay, adequate coaching, adequate preparation.
“We wanted to change that, as well as give the next generation of Tall Fern idols to see in person.”
Beynon said the first season exceeded expectations, particularly with the level of imports they were able to attract, and Basketball New Zealand were looking to build on that with some yet-to-be-announced developments in 2023.
But it isn’t just the women’s game that is seeing a rise in interest in New Zealand. Beynon said this year’s men’s league experienced a significant increase in both attendance and viewership, and those marks were drastically improved on those of the 2019 season — the last one in the pre-Covid era.
Beynon said having the likes of Adams attend games when he was in town only boosted the profile of the leagues.
“It’s such a buzz for them to play in front of stars and household names. It also legitimises the league as a viable ‘night out’,” he said.
“We want women’s basketball to attract everyone, and celebs help do that. Steven’s support of the domestic game here in Aotearoa is incredible, and as a league we’re proud to see a former NBL Rookie of the Year excelling in the world’s top league.”
