Bam Adebayo reflects on ‘exciting’ offseason as start of training camp looms

Miami Heat big man Bam Adebayo had an eventful offseason. When asked to succinctly describe his time away from the Heat, the star picked one positive word to use.

“I would say exciting,” the 27-year-old Adebayo said recently when asked for one word to describe his offseason.

Early in the summer, Adebayo agreed to terms on a three-year, $166 million extension with the Heat that will keep him under contract with Miami through the 2027-28 season. He has a player option on his contract for the 2028-29 campaign.

Then, Adebayo helped Team USA earn a gold medal in the 2024 Paris Olympics, as he was one of the 12 basketball players selected to represent the country.

Adebayo reflected on the lucrative extension that he signed with the Heat as well as his stint with Team USA.

“Obviously, having an extension, being able to get extended, that’s a great feeling,” Adebayo said. “As for the Olympics, that’s one of the most historic things that I’ve done — being part of a team that is compared to the ‘Dream Team.’ To be able to be part of a team where you got three for sure first-ballot Hall of Famers (Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and LeBron James) coming together to do one last accomplishment together, to be a part of that … you can’t really put that into words.”

Miami’s offseason is all but over at this point, though, considering the start of training camp for the Heat is only days away. The Heat will hold training camp at Baha Mar in the Bahamas from Oct. 1 through Oct. 5.

The team’s media day is even closer on the horizon, as it will take place on Sept. 30 at the Kaseya Center, and perhaps Adebayo will give some memorable quotes when that time comes.

Adebayo will try to take what he learned from his experiences with Team USA in the summer and translate that into wins for the Heat in the 2024-25 season.

It’s safe to assume that Miami is hoping for more collective success than the team experienced last season. After reaching the 2023 NBA Finals the year prior, the Heat ended up as the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference and lost to the Boston Celtics — the No. 1 seed in the conference — in five games in the 2024 NBA Playoffs.

But Adebayo seemingly isn’t the one to blame for the Heat’s shortcomings last season. He had maybe the best season of his pro career in the 2023-24 regular season, as he averaged 19.3 points, 10.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game and secured a spot on the All-Defensive First Team.

Adebayo will have his first chance in a while to take the court for the Heat when the team takes on the Charlotte Hornets in its preseason opener on Oct. 8.