NBA star Steven Adams' constant rejection to Tall Blacks call-ups can be traced back to not being able to afford to represent New Zealand as a teenager.
His absence from the national team stems from when the then-15-year-old was forced to withdraw from the Junior Tall Blacks' 2009 World Cup campaign due to lack of funding, sources close to Adams told NZME.
The Oklahoma City Thunder centre has never played for his country at senior level and recently turned down coach Paul Henare's approach to be part of their FIBA World Cup qualifying games against Hong Kong and China.
Adams' mentor and former NBL legend Kenny McFadden said Adams would have represented the Tall Blacks by now had he been better financially supported by Basketball New Zealand (BBNZ) as a youngster.
"No doubt about it. If you take care of your New Zealand players, the players will be obligated to put something back in," he told the Herald on Sunday.
McFadden added that when Adams expressed his desire to put on the back singlet, "he got no money and couldn't play".
Adams played for New Zealand under-17s in the late 2000s, but his selection was only possible after a late scramble to secure funding.
He would drop out of contention for the McFadden-coached Junior Tall Blacks in 2009 when he did not have the funds to cover airfares, accommodation and other teams' fees with players expected to partly pay their own way.
A close relative told the Herald on Sunday these costs amounted to "thousands of dollars", and that the then-teenager was forced to withdraw from the squad, leaving him "devastated".
McFadden said the snub rubbed Adams the wrong way and he now felt more loyal to the Thunder.
BBNZ chief executive Iain Potter insists Adams' absence from the Tall Blacks setup is down purely to rest.
"I don't think that's held. There may have been an element of that when he first went over to the US, but certainly in my conversations with him it's not something he holds anymore," Potter said.
"He and many others suffered from pay-as-you-play type arrangements, and kids still do.
"We're aware of that rumour but we're pretty confident it's not about that."
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