Edrice Femi "Bam" Adebayo (born July 18, 1997) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player for the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Southe ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

(NBA). He played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for the

Kentucky Wildcats The Kentucky Wildcats are the men's and women's intercollegiate athletic squads of the University of Kentucky (UK), a founding member of the Southeastern Conference. The Kentucky Wildcats is the student body of the University of Kentucky. 30,473 ...

before being selected by the Heat with the 14th overall pick in the

2017 NBA draft The 2017 NBA draft was held on June 22, 2017, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. ...

. He was named an

NBA All-Star The National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game is an annual exhibition basketball game. It is the main event of the NBA All-Star Weekend. Originally, the All-Star Game featured a conference-based format, featuring a team composed of al ...

and voted to the

NBA All-Defensive Second Team The NBA All-Defensive Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1968–69 NBA season to the best defensive players during the regular season. The All-Defensive Team is generally composed of ten players in two ...

during the 2019–20 season. He also won a gold medal on the 2020 U.S. Olympic team in Tokyo.

Early life and high school career

Adebayo was born in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.Yoruba The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...

father and an African-American mother. As a child, he was given the nickname "Bam Bam" by his mother when, while watching ''

The Flintstones ''The Flintstones'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. The series takes place in a romanticized Stone Age setting and follows the activities of the titular family, the Flintstones, and their next-door neighb ...

'' at age one, he flipped over a coffee table in a manner similar to the show's character

Bamm-Bamm Rubble Bamm-Bamm Rubble (sometimes spelled Bam-Bam Rubble) is a fictional character in the ''Flintstones'' franchise, the adopted son of Barney and Betty Rubble. He is most famous in his infant form on the animated series, but has also appeared at vari ...

. Adebayo moved with his mother to

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

when he was seven years old. He attended Northside High School in

Pinetown, North Carolina Pinetown is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Beaufort County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 155. The community is located in northern Beaufort County in the Coastal ...

where, as a junior, he averaged 32.2 points and 21 rebounds a game. During the summer, Adebayo joined his

Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It has ...

(AAU) team, Team Loaded North Carolina, alongside fellow five-star 2016 recruit

Dennis Smith Jr. Dennis Cliff Smith Jr. (born November 25, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He attended North Carolina State University for one season of college basketba ...

He averaged 15.0 points and 10 rebounds per game on Adidas Uprising Circuit. Later that summer Adebayo competed at the NBPA Top 100 Camp and was named MVP at the 2015 Under Armour Elite 24 game. After his junior season at Northside he transferred to

High Point Christian Academy High Point Christian Academy (HPCA) is a private, college preparatory, Christian school located in High Point, North Carolina, United States serving students in preschool (2-, 3-, and 4-year-olds) through twelfth grade. HPCA is a member of the ...

High Point, North Carolina High Point is a city in the Piedmont Triad region of the United States, U.S. state of North Carolina. Most of the city is in Guilford County, North Carolina, Guilford County, with parts extending into Randolph County, North Carolina, Randolph, ...

. In his season debut, Adebayo scored 22 points and 17 rebounds in an 81–39 win over

New Garden Friends School Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte and Raleigh, the 69th-most populous city in the Un ...

. On December 29, he posted 26 points and 14 rebounds in a 91–63 victory over

De'Aaron Fox De'Aaron Martez Fox (born December 20, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball, Kentucky W ...

and

Cypress Lakes High School Cypress Lakes High School is a secondary school located in an unincorporated area in Harris County, Texas, near Houston and with a Katy postal address. Cypress Lakes, originally named Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District High School # ...

. As a senior, Adebayo averaged 18.9

points per game Points per game, often abbreviated PPG, is the average number of points scored by a player per game played in a sport, over the course of a series of games, a whole season, or a career. It is calculated by dividing the total number of points by nu ...

, 13.0

rebounds per game 'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...

, 1.4 blocks per game and 1.5 assist per game, and led the Cougars to a NCISAA state championship appearance. Adebayo was named 2016

North Carolina Mr. Basketball The North Carolina Mr. Basketball honor recognizes the top boys’ high school senior basketball player in the state of North Carolina. The award is presented annually by the ''Charlotte Observer''.http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2009/04/12/659650/ ...

. In January 2016, he played in the

2016 McDonald's All-American Game The 2016 McDonald's All-American Boys Game was an All-star game, All-star basketball game played on Wednesday, March 30, 2016 at the United Center in Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, home of the Chicago Bulls. The game's rosters features the best and ...

and

Jordan Brand Classic The Jordan Brand Classic is a high school All-Star basketball game played annually in April. The game's rosters feature the best and most highly recruited high school boys in the senior class including alumns like Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony, Bl ...

Recruiting

Adebayo was rated a five-star recruit and considered one of the best high school prospects of the 2016 class. He was ranked the No. 5 overall recruit and No. 2 power forward in the 2016 high school class. On November 17, 2015, Adebayo committed to the University of Kentucky. He joined fellow freshmen

Malik Monk Malik Ahmad Monk (born February 4, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats, earning consensus ...

, and

Wenyen Gabriel Wenyen Gabriel (born March 26, 1997) is a South Sudanese-American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats, after being a 5-sta ...

College career

On December 7, 2016, Adebayo recorded 16 points and 7 rebounds in an 87–67 win against Valparaiso. On February 21, 2017, Adebayo scored 22 points and 15 rebounds to defeat

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

in a 72–62 Victory. As the number one seed entering the

SEC tournament The Southeastern Conference (SEC) sponsors nine men's sports and twelve women's sports. This is a list of conference champions for each sport. Also see the list of SEC national champions. Members The SEC was established on December 1932, when t ...

, Kentucky would defeat

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

in the quarterfinals and beat Alabama in the semifinals. On March 12, 2017, Adebayo grabbed nine rebounds to help the Wildcats defeat

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

82–65 and win the SEC Championship. On March 17, in the first round of the NCAA tournament, Adebayo had 18 rebounds in a 79–70 victory against

Northern Kentucky Northern Kentucky is the third-largest metropolitan area in the U.S. Commonwealth of Kentucky after Louisville and Lexington, and its cities and towns serve as the de facto "south side" communities of Cincinnati, Ohio. The three main counties ...

. In the second round of the NCAA Tournament, Adebayo recorded 10 rebounds to help Kentucky defeat

Wichita State Wichita State University (WSU) is a public research university in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate degree programs in more than 200 areas of study in ...

. On March 24, Kentucky defeated

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

in the Sweet Sixteen, Adebayo had 12 rebounds in the game. On March 26, Adebayo scored 13 points and seven rebounds in a 75–73 loss in the Elite Eight against

. After the loss in the Elite Eight, he declared his entry into the

on April 5, with him signing an agent 20 days later. In 38 games for Kentucky in the 2016–17 season, Adebayo averaged 13.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game and was named First-team All- SEC as well to the SEC All-Freshman team.

Professional career

Miami Heat (2017–present)

On June 22, 2017, Adebayo was selected with the 14th overall pick in the

by the

. On July 1, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Heat, and joined the team for the

2017 NBA Summer League The 2017 NBA Summer League consisted of three pro basketball leagues organized by the National Basketball Association (NBA): the Orlando Pro Summer League, Utah Jazz Summer League, and Las Vegas Summer League. Eight teams participated in the wee ...

. In his rookie season, Adebayo appeared in 69 games for the Heat and averaged 6.9 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. On December 7, 2018, Adebayo recorded 22 points and 10 rebounds in a 115–98 win over the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...

. On December 28, he scored 18 points in a 118–94 victory against the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

. Adebayo played all 82 games, averaging 8.9 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. On December 10, 2019, Adebayo 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 The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Sou ...

. On December 14, he had his second career triple-double in a 122–118 overtime win over the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference (NBA), Western Conferenc ...

, scoring 18 points with 11 rebounds and 10 assists. On December 16, Adebayo was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the games played from December 9 to 15, when he averaged 20.0 points, 11.3 rebounds, 8.7 assists per game. On January 27, he recorded 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a 113–92 win over the

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was establ ...

. On January 30, Adebayo was named to his first

NBA All-Star Game The National Basketball Association All-Star Game is a basketball exhibition game hosted every February by the National Basketball Association (NBA) and showcases 24 of the league's star players. It is the featured event of NBA All-Star Weekend, a ...

. On February 15, he won the

NBA All-Star Weekend Skills Challenge The NBA Skills Challenge (officially named The Taco Bell Skills Challenge), is a National Basketball Association (NBA) contest held on the Saturday before the annual All-Star Game as part of the All-Star Weekend. First held in 2003, it is a compe ...

competition. At the end of the 2019–20 season, Adebayo finished as runner-up in voting for the Most Improved Player Award. He was also named to the

and finished fifth in voting for the Defensive Player of the Year Award. On November 28, 2020, Adebayo signed a five-year contract extension with the Heat. On February 18, 2021, Adebayo logged his first triple-double of the season with 16 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in a 118–110 win over the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

. Teammate

Jimmy Butler Jimmy Butler III (born September 14, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "Jimmy Buckets", he is a six-time NBA All-Star, a four-time All-NBA Team honore ...

posted 13 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists, making them the first pair in league history to register triple-doubles in the same game more than once. On December 7, 2021, Adebayo underwent right thumb surgery and was ruled out for at least 4-to-6 weeks. On May 21, 2022, in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Adebayo recorded 31 points on 15-of-22 shooting from the field along with 10 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals in a 109–103 win over the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

. On May 29, in the decisive Game 7, the Heat were eliminated despite 25 points, 11 rebounds and four assists from Adebayo.

National team career

Adebayo was cut from the

United States national team The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions. Olympic teams Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...

for the 2019 World Cup, but he was named to their 2020 Olympic team and won a gold medal. He had also been considering the Nigerian team for the Olympics.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

, 69 , , 19 , , 19.8 , , .512 , , .000 , , .721 , , 5.5 , , 1.5 , , .5 , , .6 , , 6.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , 28 , , 23.3 , , .576 , , .200 , , .735 , , 7.3 , , 2.2 , , .9 , , .8 , , 8.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 72 , , 72 , , 33.6 , , .557 , , .143 , , .691 , , 10.2 , , 5.1 , , 1.1 , , 1.3 , , 15.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 64 , , 64 , , 33.5 , , .570 , , .250 , , .799 , , 9.0 , , 5.4 , , 1.2 , , 1.0 , , 18.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 56 , , 56 , , 32.6 , , .557 , , .000 , , .753 , , 10.1 , , 3.4 , , 1.4 , , .8 , , 19.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 343 , , 239 , , 28.2 , , .558 , , .140 , , .741 , , 8.3 , , 3.5 , , 1.0 , , .9 , , 13.5

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

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, 5 , , 0 , , 15.4 , , .467 , , .000 , , .214 , , 4.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .4 , , 3.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

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, 19 , , 19 , , 36.2 , , .564 , , .000 , , .783 , , 10.3 , , 4.4 , , 1.0 , , .8 , , 17.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 4 , , 4 , , 34.0 , , .456 , , , , .769 , , 9.3 , , 4.3 , , 1.3 , , .5 , , 15.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 18 , , 18 , , 34.1 , , .594 , , .000 , , .763 , , 8.0 , , 2.7 , , 1.0 , , .7 , , 14.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 46 , , 41 , , 32.9 , , .559 , , .000 , , .739 , , 8.6 , , 3.2 , , .9 , , .7 , , 14.8

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2016–17 , style="text-align:left;",

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

, 38 , , 38 , , 30.1 , , .599 , , , , .653 , , 8.0 , , .8 , , .7 , , 1.5 , , 13.0

References

External links

Kentucky Wildcats bio

USA Basketball bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adebayo, Bam 1997 births Living people 21st-century African-American sportspeople African-American basketball players American men's basketball players American people of Yoruba descent American sportspeople of Nigerian descent Basketball players at the 2020 Summer Olympics Basketball players from North Carolina Centers (basketball) Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball players McDonald's High School All-Americans Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics Miami Heat draft picks Miami Heat players National Basketball Association All-Stars Olympic gold medalists for the United States in basketball People from Beaufort County, North Carolina Power forwards (basketball) United States men's national basketball team players