One of the league's best offensive rebounders, Kiwi Steven Adams is never shy of a loose ball.
But the the Kiwi got a bit more than he bargained for during his Memphis Grizzlies' dramatic season-opener against New York Knicks on Thursday (NZ time).
On his way to the scorer's table to check back into the game on his homecourt at the FedEx Forum, he was struck flush in the head by an errant cross-court bullet pass from Knicks guard Derrick Rose.
The jovial 29-year-old immediately saw the humorous side of the incident, throwing his arms up with a smile, while jokingly gesturing to the referees to call Rose for a technical foul.
"That didn't even affect him," said the local announcers. "I think the ball hurt more than Steven Adams.
"The ball is upset."
As you'd expect, Adams brushed it off to return to the fold and make some key plays down the stretch. The Knicks forced overtime with a late three-pointer, before the hosts edged clear to seal a 115-112 win.
He finished with a lopsided statistical line of three points and 14 rebounds - including six on the offensive end - to go with a block and a steal.
All Star point guard Ja Morant was the Grizzlies best, notching 34 points, nine rebounds and four assists.
The Grizzlies move on to face Houston Rockets on Saturday.
