If you’ve watched the Thunder this season, there’s a chance you’ve spotted Adams shaking hands with an invisible man just prior to the start of a game, a straight-faced salutation to no one. No one you can see, anyway. It’s actually the continuation of a ritual Adams shared with Nick Collison, the Thunder lifer who retired after last season, having spent a 14-year career with the franchise, beginning in its final years as the Seattle SuperSonics. Collison had an impact all over the organization, but he particularly clicked with Adams. “In the locker room, off the court, whenever we had group settings together, you could always see the energy between Nick and Steve-O,” Patterson said. “It’s some kind of brotherly love. Everyone saw it. I’m sure they’re in contact every day, and I know that Steve definitely misses Nick, and I know that Nick misses all of us over here.”
