OKLAHOMA CITY (2015 FIBA Oceania Championship/NBA) – One of the biggest absentees from the FIBA Basketball World Cup was Steven Adams of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

That is true both figuratively and literally.

At 2.13m in height, Adams is a skyscraper that the Tall Blacks would love to have in their line-up in future games.

They fought hard and reached the Round of 16 at the World Cup, but imagine how far New Zealand might have gone had Adams, coming off a solid rookie campaign in the NBA, been in Bilbao and then Barcelona.

His presence, especially under the basket on defense, would have been a tremendous weapon.

It's a matter of when, not if, Adams will put on the Tall Blacks jersey.

He has spoken on numerous occasions about his pride in being a representive of his country in the NBA, and his desire to be a Tall Black.

Once Adams does play for New Zealand at a major sporting event, he will be the second person in his family to have done so. 

His sister, Valerie, is a world and Olympic champion in the shot put.

He was a part of a video with one of the sport's legends, Julius Erving, that got people back in Auckland excited.

FIBA: Is playing for the national team a goal for you in the future?

Adams: Absolutely. I love my country and I would like to help New Zealand’s basketball improvement. I talk very often with my sister, Valerie, who is an Olympic champion, about the importance of representing New Zealand. She participated in multiple Olympic games and World Championships and I would like to do the same with the national team.

FIBA: New Zealand finished 15th at the 2015 FIBA Basketball World Cup. What do you think about the improvement of New Zealand’s basketball in the last few years?

Adams: Great things are being done in order to make the national team get better year after year. We are a small country but we are a good team in the world’s basketball map. I watched some of their games at Spain 2014 and I think that they played well. The team has been improving a lot in the last few years and we have some young players that are showing great potential. It is always great to compete against the best teams in the world. You learn a lot by competing against world-class players.    

FIBA: You have been starting every game since the beginning of the season. How do you feel about having more responsibilities on the team for your second season in the league?

Adams: It feels great. I have been working hard and I am happy to be playing a lot of minutes every game. The coach wants me to be one of the defensive pillars of the team and I am trying my best to do so. I have less impact on the offensive end because we have a lot of talented players that can score points but I am trying to help them by grabbing rebounds and set screens for example. I am learning a lot and improving, which is very important for a young player like me.

FIBA: After a difficult beginning to the season, the Oklahoma City Thunder are now closer to the eighth spot in the Western Conference.

Adams: We had a very complicated start of the season and it was rough for us to be losing that much games. We weren’t lucky and had a lot of injured players, so we were not able to play at our best level. Things have been going better since a couple of weeks and we are gaining confidence as we are winning more games. There are still plenty of games to play before the end of the regular season and we are giving our best in order to get to the playoffs.  

FIBA: You have been selected to the World team for the All Star Weekend Rising Stars challenge. What are your thoughts about it?

Adams: I am very happy to be selected to participate in the All Star Weekend. It is always nice to take part in that event and I am really looking forward to go to New York next week. The idea of having a game between the USA and a World Team is interesting. It is going to be my second straight appearance in the All Star weekend after making the event during my rookie year. The All Star Weekend is very fun.  

FIBA