You’ve probably seen it. A grainy, candid shot of a group of giants standing in a New Zealand backyard. It’s the steven adams family photo that periodically breaks the internet every time the Memphis Grizzlies center does something "Kiwi" on the court. People look at those towering figures and think it’s some sort of genetic experiment. Honestly? It’s just the Adams family.
But there is so much more to that image than just "tall people standing together."
To understand Steven, you have to understand the man at the center of that photo: Sid Adams. Sid was an English sailor who eventually settled in Rotorua. He was 6'11". He also had 18 children with five different women. Some sources say it's 21 kids with six women. Either way, the numbers are staggering. When Steven was born, Sid was already in his 60s. By the time Steven was 13, his father was gone, passing away after a battle with stomach cancer. That loss almost derailed everything.
The Story Behind the Famous Steven Adams Family Photo
The most famous version of the steven adams family photo actually comes from a 2005 reunion. This wasn't just a casual BBQ. It was a logistical miracle. Imagine trying to get 18 siblings together when some didn't even know they were related until they were adults.
Steven was the "baby" of the bunch. In his autobiography, My Life, My Fight, he recalls being the target of his older brothers' roughhousing. His only defense back then was to cry until Sid stepped in. You wouldn't think it looking at him now, but the NBA's toughest enforcer was once the smallest kid in the yard.
Why the height in the photo looks fake
It isn't. The numbers are actually wilder than the picture suggests:
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- The average height for the Adams brothers is roughly 6'9".
- The sisters average about 6'0".
- Dame Valerie Adams, Steven’s half-sister, stands 6'4".
When you see them all lined up, it looks like a Photoshop error. It’s not. It’s just a very specific, very dominant set of genes.
More Than Just One Star
Most casual fans see Steven and think he’s the peak of the family’s athletic achievement. Kiwis know better. If you look closely at that family tree, Steven might not even be the most decorated person in the room.
Dame Valerie Adams is a literal legend. She’s a four-time World Champion and a two-time Olympic gold medalist in the shot put. While Steven was struggling to find his way in Rotorua after their father died, Valerie was already becoming a global icon. Then there’s Lisa Adams, another sister who is a Paralympic gold medalist.
Basketball runs deep too. His brothers Warren and Sid Jr. both played professionally in the New Zealand NBL. It wasn't just Steven "making it." He was just the one who took the family business to the biggest stage in the world.
The dark side of the frame
The photo captures a moment of unity, but the reality behind it was often grit and survival. After Sid died, Steven basically gave up. He stopped going to school. He started hanging around the Mongrel Mob, one of New Zealand’s most notorious gangs.
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He’s been open about the fact that he was "heading for trouble."
It was his brother Warren who saved him. Warren realized that if Steven stayed in Rotorua, he’d be lost. He dragged him to Wellington, got him into Scots College, and introduced him to Kenny McFadden. Kenny became the mentor Steven needed. He didn't just teach him how to post up; he taught him how to be a man.
Why the World Stares at This Photo
There’s a reason this specific steven adams family photo keeps resurfacing. It represents a "hardcore Cinderella story," as some fans call it. It’s the visual proof of a massive, blended, biracial family—half-English, half-Tongan—that produced some of the most physically dominant humans on the planet.
But it’s also about the Tongan culture of fāmili. In Tongan heritage, family isn't just the people you live with. It’s a massive, sprawling network of support and obligation. Even though Sid had children with multiple women, the siblings eventually gravitated toward each other.
At that 2005 reunion, some of the brothers, like Mohi and Rob, had only recently discovered Sid was their father. Steven says that as soon as they met, it was like they’d been there the whole time. You could see the resemblance. The "Adams look" is unmistakable.
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Common Misconceptions
- "They are all full siblings." Nope. They are half-siblings from different mothers, which makes the consistency of their height even more fascinating.
- "Steven was always a basketball prodigy." Not even close. He didn't take the game seriously until he was nearly 15. Before that, he was just a "scruffy kid" who liked farming.
- "The photo is from his NBA draft." No, the most viral images are from much earlier or from specific New Zealand-based reunions.
What You Should Do Next
If you're fascinated by the legacy shown in the steven adams family photo, don't just stop at the image.
First, go watch the documentary Dame Valerie Adams: More than Gold. It provides the raw, emotional context of the Adams' upbringing that a single photo can't capture. It highlights the Tongan influence of their mothers and the pressure of being an elite athlete from such a high-achieving bloodline.
Second, if you're a sports fan, look into the work Steven does with his youth camps in New Zealand. He isn't just a guy who got out; he’s actively trying to find the "next Steven Adams" in small towns like Kawerau and Rotorua.
Finally, read My Life, My Fight. It’s one of the few sports autobiographies that actually sounds like the person wrote it. No corporate fluff, just a guy talking about his "old man" and the chaos of growing up with 17 siblings.
The photo is a snapshot of genetics, but the story is about what happened after the camera was put away. It’s about a kid who lost his father, found a family, and became the "Kiwi Legend" the NBA knows today.