Kiwi NBA veteran Steven Adams is putting on a brave face, after undergoing surgery to fix the knee injury that's curtailed his season with Memphis Grizzlies.
Last month, the Grizzlies announced their starting centre needed to go under the knife to repair the right posterior cruciate ligament issue he sustained in January.
After being shelved for Memphis' short-lived playoffs campaign, when they lost in the first round to LeBron James' Los Angeles Lakers, the team tried other "non-operative" rehabilitation methods that proved unsuccessful and eventually decided surgery was the best solution.
Adams, 30, has shared an image from his hospital bed after the procedure, sporting his trademark grin and a thumbs up.
"Appreciate all the thoughts and prayers," Adams wrote in an Instagram post. "Gratitude."
Adams' absence has been keenly felt by the Grizzlies, who are already without All Star point guard Ja Morant, due to his lengthy suspension for brandishing a handgun on social media.
With Adams' back-up Brandon Clarke also recovering from injury, the side have won just one of their seven games to start the new season and are mired at the bottom of the western conference.
While Xavier Tillman has filled in admirably, the team have sorely missed Adam's presence on the glass, as one of the league's premier offensive rebounders.
Ranked in the top three in the league for offensive rebounding at the time of Adam's injury, they plummeted to 22nd after his departure.
A 2013 first-round pick by the Thunder, Adams spent seven seasons with Oklahoma City. He was traded to New Orleans Pelicans in a November 2020 deal that involved four teams.
Over his 10-year career, Adams has averaged 9.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.0 block. Last year, he agreed to a two-year contract extension that ties him to the Grizzlies through the end of next season.
