NBA: Adams on pop: “His smell was heavenly”

Steven Adams of the Oklahoma City Thunder will publish his autobiography My Life, My Fight in October and there are already some well-known passages. In one of them the New Zealander explains his affection for Gregg Popovich, whom he adores like no other coach.

In his book, Adams wrote of how he would have liked to have been drafted by the San Antonio Spurs in 2013 because he was impressed by their playing style and Tim Duncan was his role model. The fact that Adams could not complete a workout for the Spurs was a great disappointment for the New Zealander. “I just wanted a chance to hug Pop,” Adams wrote.

The center made up for this in the 2014 Western Conference Finals when Oklahoma City Thunder, the team that finally drafted Adams to number 12, hit the Spurs. “I focused on pop and made sure he wouldn’t leave before I could hug him,” Adams described what was happening.

“Man, it was beautiful. I held this legendary man and could smell his hair. His smell was heavenly. “Don’t pretend you won’t do exactly the same thing if you get the chance.”

But Adams has other plans that involve Popovich. “I’m still working on a plan in which we’re going on a little wine tasting tour in Italy together. I think of those things when I have too much time.”