Who are Steven Adams' parents? Exploring Grizzlies star's roots, personal life, and more

Steven Adams is a Kiwi basketball player for the Memphis Grizzlies. Adams was born on July 20, 1993 and raised in Rotorua, New Zealand. He came from a huge family and is the youngest of 18 children.

Adams' parents were Sid Adams and Lilika Ngauamo. Sid is of English and Maori descent and a former member of the Royal Navy. He also worked as a bricklayer and stands at 6' 11". Naguamo is of Tongan descent and worked as a nurse.

Sid reportedly had 18 children with six different women. Steven is not the only famous athlete in the family. Her half-sister Dame Valerie Adams is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and four-time world champion in shot put. Meanwhile, Lisa Adams is a gold medal-winning paralympian shot putter.

Steven Adams' father was in his sixties when he was born in 1993. He died because of complications with stomach cancer in 2006, which had a profound effect on the young future NBA player.

"When I lost my dad, that was a big hit for me," Adams said. "I didn't have that parental guidance, and I kind of took advantage of it because I was a stupid idiot. I decided not to go to school a couple of times, go when I felt like it. I always lied to my brothers and sisters." (h/t Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Before focusing on basketball, Steven Adams was a juvenile deliquent in New Zealand and started hanging out with gang members. However, one of his brothers, Warren, took him in and guided him to the right path.

Adams eventually made his way to Pittsburgh to play college basketball and was drafted 12th overall by the OKC Thunder in 2013. He played in Oklahoma City until 2020 when he was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans. After a year in New Orleans, he was dealt to the Memphis Grizzlies and is an intergral part of the team.

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Steven Adams' personal life

Steven Adams of the Memphis Grizzlies.

Steven Adams has been very private about his personal life. Adams is not married, but there are rumors that he's been in a long-term relationship with Kayla Kiriau, who is a professional basketball player in New Zealand. She has been playing for the South West Metro Pirates since 2021.

Meanwhile, Adams is usually busy with his farm in New Zealand during the offseason. He discussed his farm, which is managed by his brothers, during an appearance on JJ Redick's The Old Man and the Three podcast.

"It's an amazing piece of land," Adams said. "You see it and it should be like an art piece, just where it's located. There are some nice hills there. It's right on the beach, so it overlooks the sea. There's a nice volcano out there in the distance.

"We've got forest out back, some deer frolicking around. ... It's just a dairy farm, nice and green, in the Bay of Plenty where it gets the most sun in New Zealand."