It has been five years since Steven Adams left the Oklahoma City Thunder, as he was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans.
Now the Houston Rockets center is back on that homecourt arena, where he spent much of his career, on the opening night against the Thunder.
As his first game in his 12th season, Adams reflected on his seven seasons with Oklahoma, and went around the arena to hug the employees with whom he had a relationship, including Nick Collison whom he had a conversation before the game.
The 6-foot-11 veteran said that Oklahoma will always be his home because of the people in the city, where he cherishes them the most when he comes back.
“It’s just the people, mate. There’s something strangely magical about OKC. Like strangely,” Adams said. “It’s always this thing that damn, you miss it. But then you get here and it’s like, really not much going on. But then you miss it. It’s the people that make it really good. For the city, it’s exceeding expectations. People overlook OKC, but the city does really well. Really, really well.”
While it was the first champion ceremony for the Thunder, it served as motivation for Adams to earn it, as they had fallen short during their prime era with Kevin Durant.
“That was the 1st time experiencing a ceremony…I knew that it’d just be more motivating to me…seeing it you kinda wanna be there. Be a part of it so you wanna earn that sh*t,” he said.
It’s no wonder Adams is still remembered in OKC, as he has valued the fans since he was 18.
“I thought they would have tagged it up by now or put a bloody moustache on it… this was my home from when I was 18. Really cool that people still remember me,” Adams added.
