Bam Adebayo rose from poverty to two-time NBA All-Star

The Miami Heat’s Bam Adebayo is known to be one of the league’s best defenders, but his pathway to the NBA was not all that perfect.

TLDR

• Bam grew up in a small trailer in North Carolina where he and his mom struggled to pay the bills and even find meals.

• At 13, Bam began playing basketball despite his circumstances and used his tall height to his advantage even though his skills weren't fully developed at the time.

• Bam started playing organized basketball and by the time he finished high school, he became one of the best high school prospects in the country!

• After playing one season at Kentucky and earning First-team All-SEC as well as SEC All-Freshman team, Bam was ready to enter the draft.

• After an impressive pre-draft training session with the Miami Heat, Coach Spoelstra wanted Bam a part of the Heat culture and he has been with the squad ever since being drafted in 2017.

You may not have guessed that Bam Adebayo was raised in a small trailer, but it’s true! Bam grew up in a single-wide trailer in a rural North Carolina town. The trailer was pretty ducked off; you wouldn't even be able to find it on a GPS app! Bam’s living situation was by no means flashy, but Bam and his mom did their best to make ends meet. Bam has memories of his mom barely able to pay the bills to live in a trailer and having hardly enough money for meals, but he never let the struggle deter him.

At a young age, Bam started to pick up basketball as a hobby just by playing in his the neighborhood on a portable hoop. Mind you, this 13-year-old was nothing like the two-time NBA All-Star you see today on T.V. But we all gotta start from somewhere. Although Bam had little basketball IQ at the time, the big advantage was that he was 6’6’’ and already had the hops to get his head to the rim. With that height, he had a good amount of strength. After all, at just 1-year-old, he flipped over a coffee table which is why he then was called Bam, like The Flintstones character, in replace of his birth name, Edrice. Based on those factors alone, many kids were picking Bam first every time in the neighborhood runs.

It was during those runs, that Bam got in reps and found a true love for the game. Before you know it, Bam was taking on organized basketball and developing his craft. Soon enough, Bam was shaping into a five-star recruit. He attended Northside High School where he averaged 32.2 points and 21 rebounds a game as a junior. After transferring to High Point Christian Academy his senior year, Bam was named 2016 North Carolina Mr. Basketball then also played in the 2016 McDonald's All-American Game.

Bam became one of the best high school prospects in the country! Once it was time to choose a college to play for, he decided to team up with Malik Monk, De'Aaron Fox, and Wenyen Gabriel at the University of Kentucky.

Even with his early success, Bam kept his head down and stayed hungry. Bam always said he would never forget his roots and his AAU coach helped him keep that humble mindset. Right before Bam went to play college hoops, his AAU coach Kevin Graves gifted him a large picture of the trailer where Bam grew up in. The frame was engraved with a message that read: Never forget where you came from, and never lose sight of where you are going.

During Bam’s one season at Kentucky, he averaged 13 points and 8 rebounds which helped him earn First-team All-SEC as well SEC All-Freshman team. At this point, he was gearing up to take his talents to the professional level. John Calipari raved about Bam’s “guard feet” and stated how he was the most competitive man on his Kentucky team. Of the NBA teams interested in Bam was the Miami Heat. Pat Riley and Coach Spoelstra weren’t just going to take Calipari's word for it though– they put Bam to the test during a pre-draft training session. During 3-on-3 drills, Coach Spo told Bam not to switch on any screens in order to see how fast he would be in defensive rotations.

Bam didn't like the fact that he was being doubted; he never backed down from the small guards. In fact, he was used to locking down small quick guards like De'Aaron Fox and Malik Monk, During that moment in the session, Bam didn’t let the guard score on him once. Coach Spo was drawn to Bam’s hunger like any coach would be and believed Bam would be the perfect fit for the Heat culture. Bam was eventually selected with the 14th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.

With a big-time opportunity he earned, he still had yet to prove to the team and himself that he deserved a spot to rock with the big dogs. During his rookie season, Bam came in for Hassan Whiteside who was hurt. Miami was playing the San Antonio Spurs and Bam was thrown into the fire to guard LaMarcus Aldridge. Because Bam stayed ready, Spo took note of that. A few games later, Bam earned another opportunity to take the floor early. It was during that game that Bam notched his first double-double.

Fast forward to 2023, and Bam remains on the same team on a max contract. As a key player in the Heat’s starting lineup, Bam is hoping to take down Giannis and the 2021 Champs in the first round of this year’s playoffs. Though it won't be easy, a challenge is surely something Bam is accustomed to.

• I know this has to be a safety hazard 😳

• He went a little too hard here 😂

• This did not go as expected at all 😬

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