The Heat had pulled out all the stops to ensure that Bam Adebayo be the “King” of the evening, this night, at the reception in Sacramento. At halftime, a ceremony was organized to honor the team's Olympic medalists at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
There are three: Erik Spoelstra as an assistant for Team USA, Nikola Jovic, bronze medalist with Serbia, and Bam Adebayo, Olympic champion.
A double for history
As was the case in 2021, after the first Olympic title of its pivot in Tokyo, Miami marked the occasion by raising a second banner in its name, adorned with the American flag. Alongside his mother, gold medal around his neck, it was with emotion and pride that the Floridian interior attended the event.
“Keep counting them!” », he said. “It’s obviously something special. It continues to write my name in the history books.”
Bam Adebayo is in fact the only player in the history of the Heat to have won two Olympics while playing for Florida at the same time in the NBA. Tim Hardaway, Alonzo Mourning (2000), Dwyane Wade (2008) and LeBron James (2012) also have their own banner.
Erik Spoelstra's pride
If it was indeed Sacramento which left Florida with a short but precious victory (110-111), this celebration gave comfort to its coach despite the defeat.
“A few days ago, I was looking at photos from the trip”said Erik Spoelstra. “It was such an intense and rewarding memory. It was so enjoyable.”
The Heat coach has been at the forefront of Bam Adebayo's success on the Olympic stage, but also over the years in Miami. For him, these two medals reveal part of the DNA of his 27-year-old interior.
“I’m very happy for Bam. In a young career, he has accumulated a lot of things, two gold medals at his age, two appearances in the NBA Finals. It says a lot about him and the impact he can have on winning, how he can fit into a team that's looking to win.” concludes the technician.
Photo : Reddit
| Bam Adebayo | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2017-18 | MIA | 69 | 20 | 51.2 | 0.0 | 72.1 | 1.7 | 3.8 | 5.5 | 1.5 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 6.9 |
| 2018-19 | MIA | 82 | 23 | 57.6 | 20.0 | 73.5 | 2.0 | 5.3 | 7.3 | 2.2 | 2.5 | 0.9 | 1.5 | 0.8 | 8.9 |
| 2019-20 | MIA | 72 | 34 | 55.7 | 14.3 | 69.1 | 2.4 | 7.8 | 10.2 | 5.1 | 2.5 | 1.1 | 2.8 | 1.3 | 15.9 |
| 2020-21 | MIA | 64 | 34 | 57.0 | 25.0 | 79.9 | 2.2 | 6.7 | 9.0 | 5.4 | 2.3 | 1.2 | 2.6 | 1.0 | 18.7 |
| 2021-22 | MIA | 56 | 33 | 55.7 | 0.0 | 75.3 | 2.4 | 7.6 | 10.1 | 3.4 | 3.1 | 1.4 | 2.6 | 0.8 | 19.1 |
| 2022-23 | MIA | 75 | 35 | 54.0 | 8.3 | 80.6 | 2.5 | 6.7 | 9.2 | 3.2 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 2.5 | 0.8 | 20.4 |
| 2023-24 | MIA | 71 | 34 | 52.1 | 35.7 | 75.5 | 2.2 | 8.1 | 10.4 | 3.9 | 2.2 | 1.1 | 2.3 | 0.9 | 19.3 |
| 2024-25 | MIA | 6 | 32 | 44.2 | 21.4 | 65.6 | 2.8 | 5.7 | 8.5 | 3.2 | 1.7 | 1.5 | 0.7 | 1.5 | 15.3 |
| Total | 495 | 30 | 54.6 | 22.0 | 75.4 | 2.2 | 6.5 | 8.7 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 1.0 | 2.1 | 0.9 | 15.4 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
