“I never understood it, but that’s what Steven is like” – Former teammate compared Steven Adams to Michael Phelps in one aspect

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May 31, 2026

On May 31, 2026

Steven Adams is a walking puzzle. On the court, he is one of the most physically imposing players and has a disposition of somebody who never once considered backing down.

That said, the current Houston Rockets center also conducts himself like a kid who loves to make friends with everybody. He is warm, humble, and exudes childlike enthusiasm. Ask anyone who shared a locker room with Adams, and you’ll only hear about how incredible he is.

However, spend enough time around him, and you will discover that the most extraordinary thing about him has nothing to do with basketball. Just ask former OKC Thunder teammate Nick Collison.

The one thing Steven never holds back on

Adams got into basketball almost by accident and eventually found his way to the NBA. He played one year for the University of Pittsburgh before joining the 2013 NBA Draft. The Oklahoma City Thunder took a flier on him, selecting the Big Kiwi as the 12th pick of the batch.

It didn’t take long before Adams became a full-fledged starter for a stacked Thunder team that featured Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. He took over the reins in the middle from Kendrick Perkins and Collison, who served as his mentors in Oklahoma City. Nick saw Steven grow from a wide-eyed rookie into one of the most reliable, low-maintenance big men in the league.

And along the way, he also noticed something about his young teammate besides the immovable screens and brutal box-outs.

“He’ll eat all day long,” Collison said, per ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. “Earlier this year, we were in Miami. Some of us went to Whole Foods after practice. He went from Whole Foods to an Italian restaurant to a sushi place and he was ready for dinner later. When we go to dinner, he’ll order an appetizer, two entrees at least, whatever he wants to try.

“You always heard about Michael Phelps and his unlimited calories. I never understood it — but that’s what Steven is like,” Windy added.

Phelps, of course, was considered the GOAT of swimming and the most decorated Olympian of all time. In the 2008 Beijing Games alone, he won eight gold medals, breaking Mark Spitz’s record of seven golds in the 1972 Olympics. Michael won 28 medals in total, and 23 of those were of the golden variety.

But to stay on top of his game, Phelps infamously ate up to 10,000 calories every single day. And according to Michael, he’d gorge on anything he felt like eating, including pasta, sandwiches, pizza, and energy drinks, per the Olympics.com.

And that was how Adams’ appetite was. He probably didn’t track his calories or anything like that, but he would eat and try different foods, including pig’s testicles, fish, and whatnot. Then, two years after moving to the Memphis Grizzlies, Steven became a full-fledged carnivore before incorporating other foods, mainly fruit, into his diet.

Like the man himself, Adams’ diet followed no blueprint.

The one and only

The appetite is just one layer of the Adams enigma. He truly is unique in more ways than just his food choices and calorie intake.

For instance, many of his peers consider Adams the strongest dude in the NBA, but he was never a big weight-lifter. He attributes much of his legendary strength to his rough childhood in Rotorua, where Steven had to split and chop wood and take part in other outdoor activities.

Then, despite earning nearly $200 million over his career, he lives in a modest, one-room apartment in Houston with the bare essentials. He initially went with just a sleeping bag, but “spoiled himself” a bit by purchasing a bed and a regular mattress. Outside of that, he only has Wi-Fi, TV, and his guitars and amplifiers.

There really is no template when it comes to Adams. He is simply one of those people who exists on their own terms, and even the NBA, with its penchant for glitz and glamour, will never change that.

This story was originally published by Basketball Network on May 30, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.