Bam Adebayo

Early life, family and education

Adebayo was born on July 18, 1997, in Newark, New Jersey, to John Adebayo, a Nigerian Yoruba father, and Marilyn Blount, an African American mother. His mother gave him the nickname "Bam Bam" at age one after he flipped a coffee table while watching The Flintstones, similar to the character Bamm-Bamm Rubble. He moved with his mother to North Carolina at age seven and had little further interaction with his father, who died in 2020 in Nigeria. Adebayo initially resented his last name and Nigerian heritage due to the distance from his father but started learning about his background at 16 and has since embraced it.

He attended Northside High School in Pinetown, North Carolina, where as a junior he averaged 32.2 points and 21 rebounds per game. During the summer, he played for his AAU team, Team Loaded North Carolina, alongside Dennis Smith Jr., averaging 15.0 points and 10 rebounds per game on the Adidas Uprising Circuit. He was named MVP at the 2015 Under Armour Elite 24 game. After his junior season, he transferred to High Point Christian Academy in High Point, North Carolina.

As a senior, he averaged 18.9 points, 13.0 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, and 1.5 assists per game, leading the Cougars to a NCISAA state championship appearance. He was named 2016 North Carolina Mr. Basketball and played in the 2016 McDonald's All-American Game and Jordan Brand Classic. Rated a five-star recruit, he was ranked the No. 5 overall recruit and No. 2 power forward in the 2016 class. On November 17, 2015, he committed to the University of Kentucky, joining fellow freshmen Malik Monk, De'Aaron Fox, and Wenyen Gabriel.

College career

On December 7, 2016, Adebayo recorded 16 points and 7 rebounds in an 87–67 win against Valparaiso. On February 21, 2017, he scored 22 points and 15 rebounds in a 72–62 victory over Missouri. As the number one seed in the SEC tournament, Kentucky defeated Georgia and Alabama before Adebayo grabbed nine rebounds in an 82–65 win over Arkansas to win the SEC Championship. In the NCAA tournament, he had 18 rebounds in a first-round win over Northern Kentucky and 10 rebounds in a second-round victory against Wichita State.

He added 12 rebounds in a Sweet Sixteen win over UCLA, then scored 13 points with seven rebounds in a 75–73 Elite Eight loss to North Carolina. After the season, he declared for the 2017 NBA draft on April 5 and signed with an agent 20 days later. In 38 games, he averaged 13.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game, earning second-team All-SEC and SEC All-Freshman honors.

Professional career

The Miami Heat selected Adebayo with the 14th overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft. He signed his rookie scale contract on July 1 and joined the team for the 2017 NBA Summer League. In his rookie season, he appeared in 69 games, averaging 6.9 points and 5.5 rebounds. On November 25, 2018, he had a career-high 21 rebounds with 16 points in a 125–115 loss to the Toronto Raptors.

He played all 82 games in the 2018–19 season, averaging 8.9 points and 7.3 rebounds. After the Heat traded Hassan Whiteside, Adebayo became a starter in the 2019–20 season. On December 10, 2019, he recorded his first career triple-double with a career-high 30 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists in a 135–121 overtime win against the Atlanta Hawks. He was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played December 9–15, averaging 20.0 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 8.7 assists.

He was named to his first NBA All-Star Game on January 30 and won the NBA All-Star Weekend Skills Challenge. He finished the season averaging 15.9 points, 10.2 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.3 blocks, and 1.1 steals.

In the playoffs, he scored a playoff career-high 32 points with 14 rebounds and 5 assists in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals to help the Heat reach the NBA Finals. After suffering an injury in Game 1 of the 2020 NBA Finals, the Heat lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games. He finished runner-up for Most Improved Player and was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team.