Steven Adams is a humble man with humble roots whose career earnings top $US150 million ($NZ250 million).
Basketball is lucrative at his level. And Adams is preparing for his 11th season in the NBA.
It would be his 12th campaign but the New Zealander spent all of last season confined to the sideline with a knee injury.
That was a new experience for him.
The 31-year-old had surgery in November, and in February he had to pack up his life and move from Memphis, where he was adored by the Grizzlies faithful, to Houston, which remains unfamiliar to him.
He got traded, and not for the first time in his career.
American sport can be brutal like that.
Just ask baseball player Christopher Morel. The Chicago Cubs switched him out mid-game, and the emotional scenes of him leaving the dugout went viral.
The idea athletes are products to be traded like potatoes or corn is foreign to New Zealanders.
It seems foreign to Adams, too, even if he does try to take curveballs like that in his enormous stride.
"I haven’t been too caught up in it," the 2.11m centre told the Otago Daily Times.
"But it’s still like a bit of a move, bro. You know what I mean?
"You develop all of these relationships within the organisation and literally the next day you have to leave. You are not allowed back in the facility."
Some of his fans took his exit hard. He had built up a strong support base in the city.
His Kiwiness was received warmly. His dry wit and colourful choice of language made him a media darling as well. He has quite the cult following.
"The Memphis fanbase gravitate towards me, for whatever reason. They welcomed me there. I just tried to treat them as they deserved to be treated and they just supported me, man."
The future is in Houston for Adams, though.
It is a long way from Rotorua, where he grew up in a busy house across the road from a petrol station.
"I haven’t been there too much," Adams said when asked about his move to Space City.
"But the organisation is great.
"I’ve still got to find a place but it should be good, bro. It’s a good team, good people."
New Zealand is still home, though.
"Of course. 100%. That is why I do all of the camps here — anything I can do just to help out here. Everything is always back in New Zealand."
Adams’ priority since his surgery late last year has been to get his knee right so he can suit up for the Rockets.
So how is the knee?
"It’s still there, bro," he joked.
"The surgery went well. I’m still in the rehab protocol right now, but I’ve still got a bit of time between now and the training camp at the end of September.
"Everything has been really, really positive so far. So I’ve just got to carry on and not get too complacent and stick to what’s been working."
Adams described his stint away from the court as a "different challenge".
"Obviously it sucked being on the sideline. But also it was like a bit of a blessing, bro.
"I was able to watch a lot of game tape and learn the game in a different way."
He also caught up with some of the basketball action during the Olympics.
Adams has never slipped on the black singlet for the Tall Blacks and that has disappointed some of his New Zealand fanbase.
"Of course, one day," Adams said when asked if he wanted to play international basketball.
"I was actually thinking about it this year but the injury happened and all that, you know."
"I’ll just try and focus on the next one."
