NORMAN — Matt Freeman could take State Highway 1 south from Auckland, connect with State Highway 27, and then head east on State Highway 5. That 3-hour and 228-kilometer jaunt would land him in Rotorua, New Zealand — known for its mud pools, hot springs and the country’s most famous basketball player, Steven Adams.
Or, if he really wanted to see Adams, he could save himself an 18-hour flight with a half-hour drive up I-35.
Freeman is 7,500 miles from his hometown of Auckland, New Zealand, but 20 miles of Oklahoma pavement is the only distance between the Sooner forward and Adams — the Thunder’s beloved center and the state’s honorary New Zealand ambassador.