Being a lottery pick in the NBA comes with some reputation. A rookie could think that he is a prized possession if they get picked first or fourteenth. That’s what must Bam Adebayo probably felt when he first joined the Miami Heat.
Good thing for him, it was shut down by Erik Spoelstra right away.
Adebayo was picked 14th overall by the Heat in 2017 after an illustrious collegiate career with the Kentucky Wildcats with whom he earned a Second-team All-SEC and SEC All-Freshman team in the same year. He joined a team that was still in rebuilding mode and so, everybody has a role.
The three-time All-Star shared in The Young Man and the Three podcast that he and Spoelstra where not in the same page at the start and so, he hated him.
“Oh, I hated Spo when I first got here…we’re in training camp, and I’m on the red team…we’re losing and I’m pissed…he (Spo) was like ‘you think you’re above being with the red team?’…so that’s kind of like our first impression,” Adebayo said.
Good thing for him, he had veteran Udonis Haslem who helped him realize and reflect about the start of his journey.
“Thank God for UD, we need more vets in this league like him because he changed my whole mindset when it came to Spo — like I said I hated this man, when I used to go to practice I just get irradiated by looking at him.”
Bam Adebayo on trade rumors
He no longer need to wear the redshirt now. He’s been starting for them in all the regular season and postseason games since the 2019.
One thing he had to battle though were the possibilities of getting traded. Adebayo said he never got comfortable in his place and he just put in the work they needed from him.
Bam on Miami keeping him out of trade talks during his 9 year stint:
“You really don’t get comfortable…for me is just going out there and be the best that I can and give them a reason to not let me go so just for me is to always get better…”
Bam is a HEAT LIFER🗣️ pic.twitter.com/zR0pUaz0Jj
— 𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙩𝘾𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 (@WadexFlash) December 3, 2025
Trades involving Adebayo has died down already. Most of the talks were just speculative and the Heat are not expected to ship him as they no longer have a main star after Jimmy Butler left in February.
They don’t have to as the Heat are currently looking good, sitting at no. 4 in the Eastern Conference standings.
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