Miami Heat forward Bam Adebayo hasn’t won a Defensive Player of the Year Award in his career but for the franchise’s former point guard, he should have bagged at least three of those. He should have won it four times at most.
Mario Chalmers, through the podcast Scoop B, expressed disdain over the fact that the three-time All-Star is being ignored in conversations when it comes to DPOY. Adebayo was named to the All-NBA Defensive First Team in 2024 and four times in the NBA All-Defensive Second Team.
The retired two-time champion the league ignores Adebayo because it is expected of him.
“Because it’s expected. They expect Bam to do it,” he explained.
“So when they expect you to do something, they’re not shocked about something you can do. I think Bam should’ve been Defensive Player of the Year the last 3 or 4 years. There’s nobody that can really do what he does out there. So when it’s expected, you really don’t get the shine.”
Five players won the DPOY in the last six years. Only one guard won it. Rudy Gobert took it home twice – first when he was still with the Utah Jazz and second is with his current team Minnesota Timberwolves.
Jaren Jackson Jr. (Memphis Grizzlies) won it in 2024) and Evan Mobley (Cleveland Cavaliers) in 2025. Marcus Smart got it in 2022.
Bam Adebayo is pissed, too
Adebayo did not say anything much about the DPOY competition in 2025 season. He was not in the Top 3 candidates.
However, he is aware that he is being ignored. In 2024 before the start of the season, he enumerated the times he lost the award even if he does more compared to them given their squad’s strength.
“A point guard (Marcus Smart) got it over me, a center (Rudy Gobert) got it over me, a power forward (Jaren Jackson Jr.) has gotten it over me,” Adebayo said in an interview with Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports.
“The goalposts move for me, in certain degrees. It’s me and a lot of undrafted dudes, and we still have a top-five defense.”
Adebayo is regarded as one of the best defensive players in the league with his ability to guard all positions. Maybe he’ll get more recognition this new season where again, he’ll have to do more for his team who are not expected to do damage just like last season.
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