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You really only need to take a look at Steven Adams to surmise he’s a pretty tough guy, and the 6’11” New Zealander who is basically the NBA’s equivalent of Jason Momoa has repeatedly cemented that perception over the course of the decade he’s spent playing in the league.
Virtually every professional athlete is willing to do whatever they can to gain a competitive advantage—a reality Adams knows all too well when you consider he once accused Jeremy Sochan of pinching his nipple in an attempt to throw him off during a tight contest.
However, Adams is also apparently more than willing to take things to a very interesting level when the moment calls for it based on a story Paul George recently shared on an episode of Podcast P.
If you’re a fan of professional wrestling, you’re probably aware that the vast majority of matches that feature a wrestler covered in blood are usually the result of that very person willingly slashing themselves with a razor blade hidden in their wrist tape or hidden in the turnbuckle.
Adams probably could’ve been a WWE superstar in a different life, although he apparently once channeled his inner pro wrestler during a clutch moment late in a game based on the tale George told about what unfolded when they were teammates on the Thunder.
“I’m looking at Stevo and he’s scratching his face hard as f**k… He’s like ‘Ah mate, we don’t have a timeout, I’m trying to bleed.’”
Paul George tells the story of Steven Adams gashing his face so the refs would call a timeout 😂
(via @PodcastPShow)pic.twitter.com/58j7G1OQRV
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 5, 2023
Here’s what he had to say:
“Late in the game, we’re out of timeouts. I think they were reviewing something and we needed a timeout, but we didn’t have any.
So I’m looking at Steven and he’s scratching his face hard as f***. I’m like, ‘What are you doing?’ He’s like, ‘Mate, we don’t have a timeout. I’m trying to bleed.’
He was trying to bleed so we could get the refs to give us a timeout.”
Steven Adams is built different.