Adnam Reflects on 200-Game Milestone

Thursday, December 1, 2022

10 NBL season. 200 games. It's a pretty incredible feat for a player who was always told he was "too small" to make it.

From Adelaide, to Illawarra, to Melbourne, to Sydney and finally South East Melbourne, Kyle Adnam's journey to 200 has seen him play at five clubs. But it's at the Phoenix he's really made his mark.

Having not averaged more than 3.7 points a game at his previous four clubs, Adnam has been a vital part of South East Melbourne's journey so far.

He's put up more than 10 points a game across five seasons, including a career-high 30 against the JackJumpers in October.

At 29 years of age, Adnam is playing arguably the best minutes of his career.

"There's no doubt that different times in your life challenge you. I look at all those challenges and think they're the ones that sort of motivate you to do something differently. I think at those times in my career, or whether I was in under 16s and someone was saying I was too small, I would be on court the next day working on the one thing they spoke to me about. I think that's something I've always done in a way; I've almost adopted that and been like, okay, how can I prove you wrong?," Adnam told the club's website.

"You kind of pinch yourself looking back 200 games. I have always celebrated those little milestones along the way and tried to take a positive out of it. I look back at the work I have done and all the things I have achieved in my career. To get 200 games to date; still young in my career. I couldn't be any prouder of all the work I have put in."

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Kyle Adnam is putting his team on his back ?<br><br>Watch <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL23?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL23</a> live on ESPN via Kayo Sports and Foxtel <a href="https://t.co/w03MJH8Utm">pic.twitter.com/w03MJH8Utm</a></p>— The NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1583733383087067136?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 22, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Adnam was set to reach the milestone last week, but a knee injury restricted him from taking the court alongside fellow milestone man, 300-gamer Mitch Creek.

Phoenix coach Simon Mitchell was full of praise for Adnam.

"Kyle is an NBL championship player. An NBL captain. And now a 200-game NBL player. These are all major achievements that only a small percentage of players accomplish," Mitchell said.

"He has been overlooked, and he has experienced being cut, but his determination and self-belief have endured. From a personal perspective, it has been a great honour to coach him, and I wish Kyle the best for many more games to come."

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">? ???? ???? ?<a href="https://twitter.com/KyleAdnam?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KyleAdnam</a> is suffering from a minor knee sprain and will be a game day decision for tomorrow’s clash against the Hawks. <a href="https://t.co/zP5J5AuMh5">pic.twitter.com/zP5J5AuMh5</a></p>— South East Melbourne Phoenix (@SEMelbPhoenix) <a href="https://twitter.com/SEMelbPhoenix/status/1596383491427815428?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 26, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Adnam and the Phoenix will take on the New Zealand Breakers on Thursday night at 5.30pm AEDT, with the game live on ESPN via Kayo and Foxtel.