Steven Adams' steadfast reluctance to play for his country does not fit with his ultra-Kiwi personality.

OPINION: Steven Adams says he is a "proud" New Zealander, and certainly portrays that image while plying his trade in the NBA with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

His Kiwi-ness, and unabashed determination to remain the person he is, is a big part of his character, his charm and his humour that makes him so beloved around Oklahoma City, the wider NBA community, and also back here in Godzone.

But right now, after Adams' latest decision to reject a well-timed invitation to play for the Tall Blacks, Kiwi hoops diehards specifically and New Zealand sports fans in general are entitled to feel a little confused about that.

JOSEPH JOHNSON/STUFF Steven Adams has a huge fan base in New Zealand, but won't make himself available for the Tall Blacks.

In fact you might be within your rights to call him on it and ask, if he's so proud of where he's from, why on earth is he so firm in his desire not to represent that same nation?

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For the first time in ... well, ever, we're being asked to accept that a top New Zealand professional sports person loves his country and is proud of where he's from, yet at the same time has no interest in pulling on the national jersey of that same nation.

Talk about your mixed messages. Something just does not compute.

Can you recall a Kiwi sports pro of Adams' ilk who has simply refused to play at all for his country? Difficult, isn't it.

Given that Adams has never played for his country at a senior level and, frankly, never showed much interest, you could ask why should we be so gutted now? It's been five or six years, and he's still jilting us. Get over it.

You could even stack up a case that suggests only a fool would be disappointed by seeing the same result over and over again, given the same circumstances.

But this particular Fiba international window, which spans just four days between June 28 and July 1, was seen as a hoops version of the perfect storm. Or the moons aligning, as it were.

The time-frame is as minimal as it's ever been for a Tall Blacks gathering (there is a pre-event camp, but Adams would have been excused that), it falls smack-bang in the middle of the NBA off-season, the Thunder were eliminated nice and early in the playoffs this year, and both games were in New Zealand, where the big Kiwi has been until just recently.

Basketball NZ even graciously scheduled one of the games for Adams' home town of Rotorua where the big fella could have completed a dream Tall Blacks debut.

Other things seemed to fit an end to the exile. Contractually he's in a good spot, just one year into that monster US$100 million (NZ$142m) new deal with the Thunder that makes him one of the world's top 100 paid sports people; and in terms of his basketball development, he's fresh off a season that saw him take a giant leap in productivity across the board.

So naturally us Kiwi sports fans got our hopes up. He pops up here, gets a feel for the special nature of the team, plays some hoops with a collection of his old mates, and then the floodgates are opened, so to speak.

Then, fronting up for the world championships in China next year isn't such a big deal.

But instead we get another rejection. A continuation of the same lack of interest. And nothing much in the way of explanation, other than a bland statement from his management company about him needing to prepare for the next NBA season?

How would five or six days with the Tall Blacks have hampered his three-month off-season? It wouldn't is the answer. If anything, it would have benefited his development, not to mention enhanced his standing in this country he still calls home.

Look, this is a special young man in a special situation. He makes more than the combined salaries of the All Blacks. His brand is becoming global in one of the world's big-two sports.

But it's hard not to shake a feeling he's damaging the one thing he holds true. His Kiwi-ness.