Basketball: Steven Adams on his bumper contract extension and Tall Blacks chances

Steven Adams' future has been secured for the next two years. Photo / Photosport

New Zealand basketball star Steven Adams has just signed a huge new contract extension in the NBA, but you'd never know it going by the celebration he has in store.

Adams locked in a two-year, US$25.2m contract extension with the Memphis Grizzlies earlier this week, a deal that will take his career earnings past the NZ$300m mark.

He's already getting paid US$17.9m for the upcoming season, his 10th in the NBA, with the extension kicking in the following year.

However, any thoughts that Adams might celebrate by treating himself to a new house, car, holiday or fancy party were quickly shut down by the star.

When asked by The Crowd Goes Wild's James McOnie if he'd treat himself, his answer was typical of Adams' low-key approach to life and stardom.

"Nah, not at all bro. I'll just go have a feed somewhere with the boys.

"Yeah, I've never been too much of a 'buy anything crazy' [person]... Yeah, I've always just been chill, grab a feed."

Adams remains non-committal to Tall Blacks

Despite not representing New Zealand in international basketball since he was a teenager, Adams says the chance to suit up for the Tall Blacks "will present itself" in time.

While Adams says he thinks of his NBA career as a platform for representing Aotearoa, he'd still love to do it officially.

"Yeah, I mean I enjoyed it when I represented them - I think it was in under 16s or something - but I just like playing basketball," Adams told McOnie.

"The whole representing the country thing, it's like, yeah dude, I feel like I try and do that job here on the NBA stage."

One reason the chances of seeing Adams in a black singlet could increase is his history with Tall Blacks coach Pero Cameron, who Adams played under with the Wellington Saints in 2011 as a teenager.

"I've still got to talk to the brother... when the time is right bro, it will present itself."

However, Adams finished the interview with a typical self-deprecating jab, playing down his credentials for the side.

"I might not even make the team mate, you know what I mean? Who knows? There's still procedures that need to take place, you know what I mean?

"People just assume that I'm just going to be on the team, it's like 'nah dude', there's a lot more steps."

The Tall Blacks could certainly use a player like Adams, ranked 24th in the world ahead of the 2023 World Cup.

The side qualified for the tournament in August after beating Jordan 100-72 in Auckland. They will be looking to improve on their 19th-placed finish from the 2019 World Cup and, with Adams on board, would hope to replicate the success of their run in 2002 where they made it all the way to the semis.