The Miami Heat have had their fair share of physical freaks over the years when it comes to athleticism. Here are some of their greatest hoppers.
With the Miami Heat and the rest of the NBA down with the suspension, it has given us a ton of time to digest content from years past. We have walked back down memory lane quite a bit during this hiatus, taking another look at the Heat title years while also paying homage to some of the great legacies built via or in a Heat uniform.
We have also found ourselves digging into the archives quite a bit to highlight players from a historical perspective. With that thought in mind and with the Easter Holiday upon us, we would like to present some of the greatest “hoppers” in Miami Heat history.
This list will include quite a few names you know, whether that be from current social media or whether you have seen or remember them playing. Without further interruption, here we go.
LeBron James
King James has always been a king of the slam dunk and boy did he act on that title while with the Miami Heat. While his overall skill level and raw size are probably his most valuable assets, his athleticism and mainly his leaping ability for a man of his size have always been astounding.
While he didn’t participate in those drills at his NBA Combine, his vertical leap is said to have been measured at “somewhere north of 40 inches“. While that would be impressive for anybody, it is especially impressive when you, again, consider the size of the man that it belongs to and the fact that he hasn’t lost an inch, if any.
Bam Adebayo
Although you tend not to think of big men as leapers or hoppers, Bam Adebayo definitely is that. Measuring in with a 38.5-inch vertical jump at his combine, Bam has shown us every inch of that vertical leap in his actual play.
https://twitter.com/MiamiHEAT/status/1226013616308027395?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1226013616308027395&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fnba.nbcsports.com%2F2020%2F02%2F08%2Fwatch-bam-adebayo-destroy-two-kings-with-dunk%2F
Bam Adebayo gets the absolute most out of all of those inches he has too. If you don’t want to take our word for it, consult De’Aaron Fox and Kent Bazemore of the Sacramento Kings, they’ll tell you.
Chris Andersen
This guy is not only one of the best leapers to ever play for the Miami Heat, but he is also a fan favorite. He became that not only for his vibrant personality, his redemption story, and his role in Miami Heat title runs, but also because he embraced the city and the fans as his own.
Another scenario where you look at him as a big man and wonder if he really can be considered a hopper, we are here to tell you that he absolutely is. His reported 37-inch vertical leap would also say as much.