The Kiwi Connection

att Freeman still remembers the first time he learned of Steven Adams.

As a part of a small basketball community in the northern New Zealand city of Auckland, Freeman had thought he knew all of the big names associated with New Zealand basketball.

“It was about when he was 17 when I heard of him on the news,” said Freeman. “I was thinking, 'man, who is this giant dude I have never seen before.' It was weird because you feel like you see everyone in New Zealand basketball all the time. Since I saw that news clip, I followed him from then and he's just grown an incredible amount. It's been fun following his progress and learning from it in terms of what he's done.”

Adams is the first ever “Kiwi” to be selected in the first round of the NBA Draft and is currently the only New Zealand native on an NBA roster. Freeman also dreams of working his way to the professional ranks and has been watching Adams throughout his entire professional career.

"There are a lot of kids, especially from his hometown, that are looking up to him now. He's one of those guys as well. As long as you're doing it, it just comes with the job."
— Steven Adams

Now, over 7,500 miles from their shared hometown of Auckland, Freeman and Adams find themselves just 20-some miles apart in the heart of Oklahoma.

A redshirt freshman, Freeman is in his first season of seeing game minutes for Oklahoma men's basketball. The 6-10 forward joined the Sooners midway through last season after graduating high school in New Zealand in the fall of 2015. Freeman has seen two starts this season and is averaging 4.6 points and 2.2 rebounds.

Just up the road, Adams is in his fourth NBA season with the Oklahoma City Thunder. With his signature mustache, 7-0 frame and long, dark hair, Adams is one of the most recognizable NBA players. Matched with his dedicated work ethic and Kiwi sense of humor, he has quickly become one of the most popular players among the Thunder fan base.

The odds of two basketball players from the same New Zealand town ending up within miles of each other in Oklahoma, USA?

“It's kind of weird,” said Adams. “Somehow in the world we're that close. It's pretty weird, but it's cool.”

Adams and Freeman first met at an Adidas Nations camp in Los Angeles in 2015. Freeman was playing for the Asian Pacific Team and was joined at the camp by professional and amateur international players, including former Sooner and Bahamas native Buddy Hield. In the middle of weighing options for his future and the potential of playing collegiately in the United States, Freeman was able to pick the brain of two of the most famous players in the state of Oklahoma.

Freeman

“It was fun talking to Buddy and also Steve, getting two different looks at it,” said Freeman. “He was really helpful in terms of what I should be focusing on when I get to college, what I should expect out of Oklahoma, stuff like that. It was good just talking to him.”

The advice and conversation from Adams on the Oklahoma City area were encouraging for Freeman, and confirmed by his first visit to the Sooner state.

“The fact that he's remained so loyal to the Thunder, that says a lot about the city itself,” said Freeman. “The moment I stepped on Oklahoma grounds, the people were so nice. Random people coming up to you out of the blue, asking how you're doing. People were a lot more nice than usual and that meant a lot to me. Coach Kruger as well. He's just an exceptional guy. I think my family really appreciated the kind of support that he showed. I'm just happy to be here.”

Freeman first picked up basketball while many of his classmates played the national sport of rugby. What began as an activity his parents pushed him toward, basketball quickly became his passion.

"Growing up, (rugby) is the first sport you're introduced to and the other stuff gets kind of added to it,” said Freeman. “Kids just end up going down different pathways and for me I just ended up falling in love with basketball. Not my first choice, my dad had to pretty much force me into playing it but I ended up just taking that pathway. I think New Zealand basketball isn't as big - obviously because of population size - as America, but popularity is growing. It's becoming so much more competitive.”

As he suits up in the Crimson and Cream and joins his teammates on the national sports stage in the United States, Freeman hopes to play a major role in helping the sport continue to grow in his home country. For him to get to this point, it was crucial to have a player like Adams pave the way to the NBA.

“Every step of the way you get closer and closer,” said Freeman. “You can probably count on one hand the amount of New Zealanders who have been in the NBA. I think he's really shown that the possibility to achieve that goal is very real. You just have to do the little things and push yourself harder than others to get there.”

One image that will forever stay with Freeman is watching from afar as Adams was selected by the Thunder with the 12th overall pick of the 2013 NBA Draft. After joining commissioner David Stern on stage, Adams pulled a portion of his suitcoat to the side to reveal the New Zealand flag embroidered on the inside.

“Growing up born and raised from New Zealand, you take a lot of pride in where you come from,” said Freeman. “When you make it in a sport like basketball, it's so competitive and you're dealing with millions of other kids who want to make it. When somebody makes it from a country like New Zealand it's a pretty proud moment and I think Steve showed that. Hopefully one day I can do the same.”

Freeman

Adams is very aware of his role in sport's rise in New Zealand, and credits young players like Freeman for their contribution into continuing the upward trajectory of basketball in the island nation.

“It's gotten better, a lot better than it has,” said Adams. “Dudes like himself actually leading the way and kind of raising the popularity of basketball. They can choose their path to do whatever, get a free scholarship...which is cool. New Zealand isn't known for basketball at all, just for rugby. Now that we have Kiwis coming up through basketball it just gives kids more opportunities and choices.”

Just how Adams left Auckland to play collegiately at the University of Pittsburgh and eventually the NBA, Freeman is now away from home and building his own career at Oklahoma. Freeman's time at OU is another step forward for his homeland's basketball community and a chance to push the sport's presence in New Zealand ever further. Similar to Freeman growing up and emulating the career of Adams, the Thunder center knows Auckland kids now have their eyes on Freeman.

“He's got to look at himself now as well as one of those dudes as well and has to carry himself like that,” said Adams. “There are a lot of kids, especially from his hometown, that are looking up to him now. He's one of those guys as well. As long as you're doing it, it just comes with the job.”

Players Mentioned

Buddy Hield

Sponsors

University of Oklahoma Athletics