Webster sends personal plea to Adams to get onboard with team
Tall Black Corey Webster has urged Steven Adams to put aside his differences with Basketball New Zealand to represent his country.
In his autobiography Steven Adams: My Life, My Fight, Adams delved in depth for the first time into why he snubbed New Zealand’s national basketball team.
Adams confirmed the report this month, which outlined that Adams held a grudge against Basketball New Zealand for not financially supporting 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 cluded.”
Webster agreed that Basketball NZ hasn’t done enough to help 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 coming Australian NBL season — followed up his initial tweet with another message a few hours later.
“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 — yet to don the Tall Blacks singlet — says in his book he will play for them “some day”, but says many people don’t understand his position.
“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.”