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Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo: Then, now and what’s to come

By Allana Tachauer

MIAMI, FL - JANUARY 25: Bam Adebayo
MIAMI, FL - JANUARY 25: Bam Adebayo /
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TARRYTOWN, NY – AUGUST 11: Markelle Fultz and Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat behind the scenes during the 2017 NBA Rookie Photo Shoot at MSG training center on August 11, 2017 in Tarrytown, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Michelle Farsi/Getty Images)
TARRYTOWN, NY – AUGUST 11: Markelle Fultz and Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat behind the scenes during the 2017 NBA Rookie Photo Shoot at MSG training center on August 11, 2017 in Tarrytown, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Michelle Farsi/Getty Images) /

Then

Bam Adebayo was born Edrice Femi Adebayo on July 18, 1997. It was only after he flipped over a table while watching The Flintstones, in an effort to mimic Bamm-Bamm Rubble, that he was nicknamed Bam by his mother.

A native of Newark, New Jersey, his basketball career didn’t really take off until he moved to North Carolina. As a senior, he averaged 18.9 points, 13.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocks a game. This resulted in being named North Carolina Mr. Basketball in 2016, and participating in both the 2016 McDonald’s All-American Game and Jordan Brand Classic. ESPN rated Adebayo the No. 5 player in the 2016 high school class, and eventually he committed to Kentucky.

Having played in 38 games, he averaged 13.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per contest, contributing in a major way to his team’s NCAA Tournament run. In the first round, Adebayo grabbed 18 rebounds, and finished with 13 points and seven rebounds in an Elite Eight loss to the University of North Carolina Tar Heels.

His collegiate success led the big man to enter into the 2017 NBA Draft, and the rest is history. The Heat scooped him up with the fourteenth pick and he now comes off the bench behind Whiteside, a fellow 7-footer.

The center had a pretty smooth transition into the pros, by way of Summer League play. In just four games in Orlando, Adebayo averaged 17.5 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks a game, crushing it on both ends of the floor. This kept up in Vegas over three matchups, having averaged 15.7 points and 8.7 rebounds per contest.

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