Steven Adams on mass shooting in New Zealand: 'They need the support, not me'

In an NBA locker room across the world from his native New Zealand, Steven Adams feels the suffering of his countrymen.

Since 50 people were killed by an Australian gunman Friday in a mass shooting at a mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand, Adams and the Thunder have played twice. Adams didn’t speak after the Thunder’s 110-88 loss to Golden State. He almost slipped out the door Monday after the Thunder’s 116-107 loss to Miami.

Adams, one of the most insightful voices in the Thunder locker room, still isn’t one who necessarily welcomes the attention of a media throng. He didn’t want the attention to be about him following the worst act of terrorism in his country’s history.

Adams made a couple of social media posts Friday and Saturday in relation to the tragedy before speaking Monday.

“All the right people, more important than me, are doing the right things over there,” Adams told The Oklahoman. “Any decent person would say, along with me, is obviously it’s a bad thing. I’m just trying to send them support, but I feel like the right people are making the right moves down there.

“Whatever it is, they’re going to have more of an impact than me, because they’re going to make a proper change. They’re on the ground there. I’m a New Zealander from afar. It obviously absolutely sucks what happened to my country. That’s what hurts the most for me. But again, there’s a lot more people who are actually friends of these people. They need the support, not me.”