While Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo has established himself as one of the most valuable big men in the NBA today, he doesn’t always receive the type of love that many feel he deserves when it comes to awards.
Speaking on the topic, he made some honest comments on the system that’s currently in place for award voting.
“I know what I am and where I should be, but those things are voted on by the media,” he said. “They don’t play against me. They don’t know, no offense to them, what it takes.”
He continued.
“The players should vote,” he said. “They know.”
Adebayo has made five All-Defensive teams during his NBA career — and he even made the All-Defensive First Team last season — but he doesn’t always receive a ton of respect in other award categories.
In particular, Adebayo has never made an All-NBA team, and he’s never won a Defensive Player of the Year award despite the fact that he’s been a top-five finisher in the race in five straight seasons.
The big man does have three All-Star nods to his name, but All-Star selections are different from end-of-season awards.
This offseason, Adebayo signed a three-year extension with the Heat worth $166 million, a nice payday for the 27-year-old. However, he would’ve been eligible to sign for even more had award voting gone his way.
For now, Adebayo can use the possible lack of respect as motivation going forward in his NBA career. If the Heat are going to have a strong 2024-25 campaign, they’re going to need Adebayo to be a major piece of the puzzle once again, so they could certainly use a motivated version of him.
Last season, Adebayo averaged 19.3 points, 10.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game while providing his usual stellar defense to wreak havoc on opposing teams. He also showed off an improved 3-point shot, something that could be worth monitoring going forward.
He has been a part of some memorable Heat playoff runs already, and the next box to check for Miami is an NBA title. If Adebayo can help his squad accomplish that goal, it will likely be hard for him to care about what award voters think of him.
