Steven Adams

“My head is weirdly shaped, so I can't wear a headband.”

“I stuck with a mustache because... do you know Magnum P.I.?”

“If you can break bread with a guy, you will actually go the extra mile on the court; that just happens.”

“My brothers bullied me, so I cried a lot as a kid. It was the only defense I had. Telling them to stop wouldn't work. The crying would bring my dad. Dad was my cavalry.”

“You don't really get to witness what athletes go through. Like, the sacrifices and stuff like that. It's by far the most amazing, beautiful thing.”

“People just don't like me, and it's unfortunate, because I'm trying to get people to come down and visit New Zealand. I'm an ambassador for New Zealand... it's kind of sad.”

“I think I look really weird with short hair. So I figured if I've got a mustache, I think it looks less creepy with long hair. Like a wild look.”

“I'll try anything, but the pig testicles in Taiwan were a little much. Eh, it wasn't half bad. There was this one dish I had there, the translation is, 'The Monk Jumps over the Fence.' It's a fish dish with all these spices. It was beautiful, man - it was poetry. It had a whole story.”

“You kind of did fight for food, so I filled up my plate. My dad would make us finish it, and I'd sit there crying because I'd have to finish all that food. I think that forced my stomach to stretch.”

“I wash it every second day, and I use Kerastase shampoo and conditioner. I just stick to that. But I also have a mustache comb, and I shampoo and condition my mustache as well.”

“I just got addicted to getting better. My coach gave me a goal to get a tip dunk in a game - you know, a putback dunk off a rebound. I had never done that. He told me that he'd get me a pair of new shoes if I did it. I just kept trying. I couldn't get it, couldn't get it, couldn't get it. It took me a year or so. Finally, one game, I got it.”

“Probably the biggest thing is the private planes. Wow, that thing's amazing. Got all the food on there, a bunch of drinks. I don't know, It's just amazing, never seen nothing like it. Tables, tables on planes, that's amazing. That was probably the biggest 'whoa' for me, like, 'I made it'. This big private jet, you're like, 'Whoa.'”

“Hate bread. Too many carbs.”

“New Zealand has better food - sorry, America.”

“I don't envy guards. They're quick little monkeys, those guys.”

“All in all, we'll just do well as a team. We've got a great group of guys, and they're just willing to work. That's what I like being around, just dudes who want to enjoy it and just work really hard.”

“I hope that basketball gains momentum and kids understand that you can actually make a living from it. Not just the N.B.A. You can get a scholarship, a free degree - like, no student loan you have to pay off. That's huge in life. Once they realize that in New Zealand, I hope they get inspired.”

“I don't pay attention to Australia, mate.”

“I was upset about getting $40 haircuts, like, every month. That's a lot of money, and so, man, that's a lot of food. That's a waste. No more. So I'm, like, letting it go so I have more food. My budget's good for food now.”

“One thing that's good is I don't lose it if some old mate goes 'bang!' and hits me in the face.”