Basketball New Zealand is confident Steven Adams will play for the Tall Blacks, but the question remains when.
The Tall Blacks have qualified for the 2023 Basketball World Cup with a 100-72 win over Jordan at Auckland.
Adams is yet to play for his country, due to his well-documented falling out with Basketball NZ over the financial demands placed on him and his family that prevented him playing at age-group level.
But that tension between the NBA star and the organisation appears to be easing, with communication between the two ongoing.
"We are in good dialogue with him and his team, and we are confident, when the time is right, that he'll be able to put on the black singlet one day," said Basketball NZ chief executive Dillon Boucher.
The World Cup will take place in the Philippines next August, which aligns with the NBA's off-season, meaning the Memphis Grizzlies centre will be free of any conflicting oncourt commitments
"Our understanding is one day he wants to put on the black singlet, we just don't know when that will be," Boucher reiterated. "That's just working with him and his management to make sure the stars align."
During the past few months, Adams has been rubbing shoulders back home at business events, holding basketball camps and also taking some much-needed time for recovery from the gruelling demands of an NBA season.
"We want him to come home and relax," insisted Boucher. "He plays 82 regular season games a year, and it's pretty tough on him and his body - both mentallly and physically - so when he comes home, we just want him to be in that environment."
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