- Bam Adebayo
- HT/WT: 6'9, 255 lbs
- Birthdate: 7/18/1997 (25)
- College: Kentucky
- Draft Info: 2017: rd 1, pk 14 (MIA)
- Status: Active
Edrice Femi “Bam” Adebayo was born on Jul. 18, 1997 is an American professional basketball player for the Miami of the National Basketball Association. Bam played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats before being selected by the Miami with the 14th overall pick in the NBA draft 2017. During the 2019-20 season, he was an NBA All-Star and was selected to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team.
Table of Contents
Bam Adebayo Early life and high school career
Adebayo was born in Newark, New Jersey, his father is Nigerian Yoruba and an African-American mother. As a child, his mother nicknamed him “Bam Bam” when he flipped over the coffee table in a similar fashion to the show’s character Bamm-Bamm Rubble while watching The Flintstones when he was a year old.
Adebayo moved to North Carolina with his mother when he was seven. He attended High School in Pinetown, North Carolina, and as a junior, he averaged 32.2 points and 21 rebounds. Over the summer, Adebayo joined his Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) team, North Carolina, with 2016 five-star recruit Dennis Smith Jr. He averaged 10 rebounds and 15.0 points on the Adidas Uprising Tour. Later that summer, Adebayo attended NBPA Top 100 training camp and was named MVP at 2015 Under Armour Elite 24. After his junior season in North District, he transferred to High Point Christian College in High Point, North Carolina. Adebayo had 22 points and 17 rebounds in his season debut in an 81-39 win over New Garden Friends School. On Dec. 29, he had 26 points and 14 rebounds in a 91-63 victory over De’Aaron Fox and Cypress Lakes High School. Adebayo averaged 18.9 points, 13.0 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, and 1.5 assists per game as a senior and led the Cougars to the NCISAA state championship. Adebayo was named the 2016 North Carolina Mr. Basketball. In January 2016, he competed in the 2016 McDonald’s All-American and Jordan Brand Classic.
Recruiting
Adebayo was named a five-star recruit and considered one of the top high school prospects in the class of 2016. He was named the No. 5 recruit and No. 2 power forward in his high school class of 2016.
On November 17, 2015, Adebayo joined the University of Kentucky. He joins freshmen Malik Monk, De’Aaron Fox, and Wenyen Gabriel.
College career
On December 7, 2016, Adebayo had 16 points and seven rebounds in an 87-67 win over Valparaiso. On February 21, 2017, Adebayo had 22 points and 15 rebounds in a 72-62 win over Missouri.
As the top seed entering the SEC Tournament, Kentucky will beat Georgia in the quarterfinals and Alabama in the semifinals. On Mar. 12, 2017, Adebayo grabbed nine rebounds to help the Wildcats beat Arkansas 82-65 and win the SEC championship. In the 1st round Tournament of the NCAA, Adebayo had 18 rebounds to help the team beat Northern Kentucky 79-70 on March 17. In the 2nd round Tournament of the NCAA, Adebayo had 10 rebounds to help Kentucky beat Wichita State. On March 24, Adebayo had 12 rebounds in Kentucky’s Sweet Sixteen victory over UCLA. On March 26, Adebayo had 13 points and seven rebounds in a 75-73 loss against North Carolina in the Elite Eight. He declared for the NBA draft 2017 on April 5 after a loss in the Elite Eight, and he signed an agent 20 days later. In 38 games for Kentucky in 2016-17, Adebayo averaged 13.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks and was named to the SEC All-NBA First Team as well as the SEC Freshman Team.
Professional career
Miami Heat (2017–present)
On June 22, 2017, Adebayo was selected by the Miami Heat with the 14th overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft. On July 1, he signed a rookie contract with the Heat and joined the team to compete in the NBA Summer League 2017. In his season of being rookie, Adebayo appeared in 69 games for the Miami Heat, averaging 6.9 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.
On December 7, 2018, Adebayo had 22 points and 10 rebounds in a 115-98 win over the Phoenix Suns. On Dec. 28, he scored 18 points in a 118-94 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Adebayo appeared in all 82 games, averaging 8.9 points and 7.3 rebounds.
Adebayo have a record of his first career triple-double with a career-high 30 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds in an overtime 135-121 win over the Atlanta Hawks on December 10, 2019. On December 14, he had his 2nd career triple-double with 18 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 122-118 overtime victory over the Dallas Mavericks. On Dec. 16, Adebayo was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the Dec. 9-15 game, when he averaged 20.0 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 8.7 assists. On Jan. 27, he had 20 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds in a 113-92 win against the Orlando Magic. On Jan. 30, Adebayo was named to his 1st NBA All-Star Game. On Feb. 15, he won the NBA All-Star Weekend Skills Challenge. At the end of the 2019-2020 season, Adebayo was the runner-up in voting for the Most Improved Player award. Adebayo was also named to the NBA All Defensive 2nd Team and finished fifth in Defensive Player of the Year voting.
On Nov. 28, 2020, Adebayo signed a five-year extension with the Heat. On February 18, 2021, Adebayo had his first triple-double of the season with 16 points, 10 assists and 12 rebounds in a 118-110 victory over the Sacramento Kings. Teammate Jimmy Butler had 13 points, 10 rebounds, and 13 assists, making them the first pair in league with history record of more than one triple-double in the same game.
On December 7, 2021, Adebayo underwent surgery on his right thumb and was ruled out for at least four to six weeks. In Game three of the Eastern Conference Finals, Adebayo had 31 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals on 15 of 22 shots to help the team beat the Boston Celtics 109-103 Celtics on May 21, 2022. On May 29, in a decisive Game 7, the Heat were eliminated despite Adebayo having 25 points, 11 rebounds, and four assists.
National team career
Adebayo was cut by the U.S. national team at the 2019 World Cup, but he was nominated for the 2020 Olympic team. He has also been considering the Nigerian team for the Olympics.