Inside The Heat

Miami Heat's Bam Adebayo Calls Out NBA Analyst For Benching Prediction

Shandel Richardson

Jul 10, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; USA forward Bam Adebayo (13) dunks on Canada in the first quarter of the USA Basketball Showcase at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 10, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; USA forward Bam Adebayo (13) dunks on Canada in the first quarter of the USA Basketball Showcase at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports / Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports
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Apparently, Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo paid attention to all the speculation.

In the days leading up to Wednesday's game against South Sudan, there was talk about Adebayo being benched. ESPN's Brian Windhorst suggested Team USA coach Steve Kerr would sit Adebayo like he did Jayson Tatum in the opener.

“South Sudan's got a bunch of athletic wing players," Windhorst said during an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show. "Tatum's gonna be out there. They're gonna be switching all of those screens because they gotta play the perimeter, and there may be a guy like Bam Adebayo that gets benched...”

Adebayo was far from benched. In fact, he led Team USA with 18 points, seven rebounds and two blocks in Wednesday's victory. Adebayo responded to Windhorst by posting a reply to his commentary. He shared a popular GIF of rapper 50 Cent that basically means why someone included him in a conversation.

Adebayo proved he was versatile enough to dominate no matter who is on the court. He drew praise from the entire basketball world.

"Bam Adebayo, the versatility that he brings this group," NBC analyst Robbie Hummel said. "You can play him in a number of spots. You can play with a small-ball lineup. He really defends. He did a little bit of everything, around the rim, in the paint, made shots from 3." 

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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Shandel Richardson

SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here