Webster plea to Adams — ‘we need you’
Tall Black Corey Webster has urged Steven Adams to put aside his differences with Basketball New Zealand and represent his country.
In his autobiography Steven Adams: My Life, My Fight, Adams delved in-depth for the first time on why he snubbed New Zealand’s national basketball team.
Adams confirmed the report by the Herald on Sunday earlier this month, which outlined that Adams held a grudge against Basketball New Zealand for not being able to financially support him at a young age.
“I couldn’t afford it. To represent New Zealand as a young athlete costs a lot of money, not just in basketball but in all sports. Being selected for an age-group national side to play in an international tournament would cost each player thousands of dollars,” Adams said. “Some might expect me to be the Basketball New Zealand poster child, but I did the opposite of rising through the ranks of the junior national teams. Being in a national team is far too expensive for most kids — me included.”
Webster agreed that Basketball NZ hadn’t done enough to help and fund young players in the sport but called on Adams to put aside his issues to wear the Tall Blacks singlet saying “we need you”.
“Totally understand why the bro @RealStevenAdams feels the way he does about Basketball NZ,” Webster wrote on Twitter. “Seems like they do nothing to help us. But as a player in the TBs, WE NEED YOU BROTHER!!!”
Webster — who has rejoined the NZ Breakers ahead of the upcoming Australian NBL season — followed up his initial tweet with another message a few hours later, although this time not directly targeted at Adams.
“My Mum’s made a great point!!!” Webster added. “We all have reasons to be pissed at Basketball NZ, but it’s not about playing for BBNZ. It’s about playing for our country, the NZ kids who look up to us, our families and our Tallblacks brothers!!!”
Adams — who has yet to don the Tall Blacks singlet — says in his book that he will play for the Tall Blacks “someday”, but says that many people don’t understand his position, emphasising he has more loyalty to his Thunder side in the NBA than he does to the Tall Blacks.
“Yes, I would love to represent New Zealand by playing for the Tall Blacks, but right now I don’t feel I have time to give it my best and play a full NBA season. It probably doesn’t help that I don’t feel a great sense of loyalty to Basketball New Zealand.
“I like what the current Tall Blacks coach, Paul Henare, has been doing with the team and I would love to play for him at some point, but I need to be ready.”