Getting to the NBA is a dream come true for many aspiring hoopers. It, a lot of times, marks the pinnacle of all the hard work they put in over the course of their basketball journey. However, with it comes a whole lot of money pouring in, the kind many were not accustomed to growing up around, and it can often feel overwhelming for the majority of players if they do not get the required help managing their finances.
Such was the case for Steven Adams , who, from his beginnings in the league until today. became a fan favorite wherever his career took him.
But even Adams admitted that staying on top of finances was difficult for him, not only because of the enormous amount coming in over a short period of time, but also because he viewed money completely differently from the conventional way. So, the key thing for the now Houston Rockets center was simply asking for help early on.
"I definitely get help. That was the number one thing. like um cuz I didn't really have that much of a relationship with money in the first place. I didn't value it like that. Obviously, I knew there was like some utility to it," Adams broke down in his recent interview on "Between Two Beers Podcast."
Steven was born and raised in Rotorua, New Zealand, a small city with an estimated population of around 58,000 people. Growing up there gave Adams a completely different perspective on monetary value. It was never the thing driving him forward; it was more of a byproduct of his love for basketball. "Big Kiwi" admitted that he would still be doing what he loves even if it was nowhere near as profitable.
Once he entered the league as the 12th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder, things changed in an instant. Back then, Adams signed a four-year rookie contract worth roughly $9.7 million. A few years later, after proving himself as a reliable, hard-working big man in the Association, he earned a massive four-year, $100 million extension. That is when his world completely flipped upside down.
Considering all that he had gone through growing up, the amount of money that suddenly entered Adams' life was something completely foreign to him, and he quickly realized that figuring it all out alone was probably the worst thing he could do. That's when Adams realized he needed help from people who already had that kind of experience.
"That I kind of kept that same mentality, and I just made sure that like the team around me were people who really understood money, and then I just learned from them… I don't know what the hell to do. Like, who knows what to do with 100 mil? Yeah. You get the guy who knows what to do with 100 mil," the 6'11" New Zealander added.
Everything about earning that kind of money sounds great on paper, but there are also hidden downsides that come with it. Relationships between people often change once large amounts of money enter the picture. And Adams knows very well that side of the story, too, even though he admitted he has not really dealt with it personally.
A lot of that has to do with the way he grew up and the environment around him. Adams revealed that his family would often refuse money from him, and considering he is the youngest in a huge family, he is still viewed as the "little annoying kid" no matter how much he earned in the NBA. And honestly, he does not mind that one bit.
"I've been extremely lucky about it, because there's a lot of uh stories where I don't know a lot of relationships start to get a bit dicey," the Rockets' big man concluded.
There is a reason people say that money is the root of all evil, but Adams managed to strike a balance between earning a fortune and handling everything that comes with it. Even though he earned more than $180 million in contracts, instead of allowing the money to change him, it seems like the longtime NBA center simply stayed true to the same grounded mentality that got him there in the first place.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on May 6, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
