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But the trophy that Adebayo continues to chase is the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy. He has played in two NBA Finals (2020 and 2023) during his career since being drafted by the Heat in 2017, but has yet to win a title. Adebayo’s hope is the Heat’s offseason addition of two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo will help him reach that goal in the coming years. “You look forward to it,” Adebayo said Sunday when asked about the Heat’s blockbuster trade for Antetokounmpo. “You look forward to the excitement around the season. I feel like Pat [Riley] has been trying to get somebody at that star level for a while now. So being able to have that shift and that change, we’re looking for growth. We’re looking to obviously win games and have some growth.” Adebayo and Antetokounmpo, who share the same agent in Alex Saratsis, already worked out together in Las Vegas in July. “We’re ready to get to work,” Adebayo said of his initial conversations with Antetokounmpo following his move to the Heat. “The goal is to win a championship. That’s his mindset. We have a like mindset when it comes to that. So those conversations were really about winning.”
“There’s an excitement around this season,” Adebayo added. “Going into this season, we want to have excitement. We want to have something to look forward to. We feel like we have a chance, and we’re going to go for it.” As for those questioning whether the Heat currently has enough playmaking and three-point shooting around its new leading duo of Adebayo and Antetokounmpo, Adebayo isn’t concerned. “We’ll figure it out,” Adebayo said Sunday. “We don’t really worry about the outside noise too much. We’ve done a lot more with less in our past years before. So we’ll figure it out.”
My understanding is that Thompson would welcome a return to Los Angeles, where he spent part of his childhood and still owns a home. The Miami Heat are another team frequently mentioned in NBA circles as a potential landing spot for the future Hall of Famer.
Heat Central: Bam Adebayo names his top 5 players of all time: Kobe Bryant Steph Curry Michael Jordan Kevin Durant Tim Duncan No LeBron James 👀
Heat Central: Josh Smith says Bam Adebayo is SALTY that LeBron didn’t come to Miami and that’s why he left him off his top 5 players list: “He prolly mad Bron didn’t come down there to South Beach and mess with him. He salty man. Might be a little salty man. Salt kills snails, not players.” (Via @NightcapShow_)
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Heat Central: Davion Mitchell lists his all time starting 5: PG: Gary Payton SG: Kobe Bryant SF: LeBron James PF: Kevin Garnett C: Shaq (Via miamiheat TT) 🤔
When asked who his favorite Miami Heat teammate was, Bam Adebayo promptly said, “I’m gonna have to go with Giannis (Antetokounmpo).” “You look forward to the excitement around the season,” Adebayo said of his reaction to Miami acquiring Antetokounmpo. “I feel like (Heat team president) Pat (Riley) has been trying to get somebody of that star level for a while, so being able to have that shift change and that change … man, we’re looking for growth and to obviously win games.”
Adebayo also understood the business side of LeBron James choosing what will likely be his final NBA stop, despite hopes for a return to the franchise where he won his first two titles. “I consider LeBron like a brother,” Adebayo said. “We’ve been Olympic teammates, but even before that, we always had down-to-earth conversations. I’m happy for him. You want the best for somebody. That’s really how you go from there.”
Plenty of A-listers showed up to celebrate the happy couple, too ... including NBA stars Jaylen Brown and Bam Adebayo, along with power couple Ciara, and Russell Wilson.
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Miami Heat training camps are considered among the toughest in the NBA, but Simone Fontecchio had already experienced something even more demanding under Dusko Ivanovic at Baskonia. “Last year, Spoelstra asked me whether Miami’s training camp was the hardest I had ever experienced,” Fontecchio told the YouTube channel La Giornata Tipo. “I said that, if it made him happy, I could say it was. In the NBA, yes. But not in my entire life.”
Fontecchio joined Baskonia immediately after representing Italy at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. His Olympic campaign ended on August 8, while Ivanovic’s preseason began two days later. “I was still in Japan and had to stop in Italy, so I very timidly asked Dusko if I could arrive later,” he recalled. “He said: ‘Of course. We start on the 10th, but you can come on the 12th.’” After a 13-hour journey, Fontecchio reached Vitoria around lunchtime and assumed he would be given time to recover. “Dusko told me: ‘Go and complete your physical tests. Practice is scheduled for 4 p.m., but don’t worry—we’ll move it to 6 p.m. so you can join us.’”
James, 41, announced on July 24 that he would join the 76ers rather than the Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers or Miami Heat after weighing his latest free agency move for more than three weeks. While Durant, 37, said he had no advance notice about the decision, he believes the growing buzz around the 76ers is "only going to help" grow interest in the NBA. "I didn't know at all," Durant said. "LeBron is stealth like that. I know there's a lot of noise around him, but you never know what's on his mind. I'm happy for him. It's a great decision for him to go to a team that has a good chance to win. Philly is a great fanbase, a great market, and it's great for the league. There were so many eyes that were tuned in to his decision."
DeMar DeRozan, 36, likely could create a bidding war, if so desired, but likely would be limited by the Heat to an offer of his $3.9 million veteran minimum, which would count $2.5 million against the cap, tax and aprons. “Well, he’s got more left than Klay,” the scout said. “But stylistically is the problem. He’s got to come off the bench — and he’s never come off the bench in his entire career (12 total times, all as a rookie in 2009-10). With him, Bam and Giannis, there would be no spacing. And he’s ball dominant.
