Bam Adebayo, a center for the Miami Heat, is set to compete in his second Olympics. This time around, he will play a different role on Team USA, but the objective remains the same.
When asked what he wanted to do in the upcoming weeks leading up to the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, Adebayo replied, “Win the gold— short, sweet, and to the point.” The 27-year-old Adebayo will start his quest for a second gold medal when the men’s basketball squad from squad USA plays Serbia in the Olympic opening game on Sunday in Lille, France (11:15 a.m., NBC). Before eight of the twelve men’s basketball national teams who qualified for the Olympics move on to the knockout stages, this match is the first of three games for Team USA during the group stage.
LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers, Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, Kevin Durant of the Phoenix Suns, Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers, Anthony Davis of the Lakers, Devin Booker of the Suns, Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics, Jrue Holiday of the Celtics, Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers, and Derrick White of the Celtics are among the twelve players that represent the United States of America at the Paris Olympics, in addition to Adebayo. In June, Svetislav Pesic, the head coach of Serbia, declared that he thought the current iteration of Team USA was “stronger than the Dream Team of 1992,” which had players like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird. To put it another way, Pesic thinks the lineup for Team USA in 2024 is the greatest in the history of the sport.
When asked about Pesic’s remark, Adebayo responded, “I think we have the potential to be one of the best teams that have been in the Olympics on the side of the USA squad.” It is excellent that he mentioned it. However, he is not only stating it to imply, “We will lay down.” To be honest, he might be saying that in order to blow smoke up our [butts]. For us, the most important thing is still winning the gold medal; we can discuss anything else at a later time. However, being a part of a team with such exceptional potential requires some personal sacrifice. Just ask Adebayo, who, for his second Olympic experience, will start on the bench after leading Team USA to victory in the summer of 2021 at the Tokyo Olympics.
Given that Embiid is a member of the Team USA roster and has started every game during the team’s perfect 5-0 exhibition schedule, Adebayo is anticipated to be used as a reserve alongside Davis to create the double-big frontcourt in the bench unit that was successful in pre-Olympic friendlies.
Regarding his position on this Team USA roster, Adebayo stated, “I am not there to go get 30 points.” It goes without saying that there are enough persons for 30. However, my role goes beyond that. Being the defensive anchor, one of the men who overcommunicates, a leader, and someone who can place others in positions where they can succeed
Adebayo shot 3 of 9 (33.3%) from three-point range and averaged 8.2 points and 4.8 rebounds per game in Team USA’s five preseason games prior to the Olympics. The team played in preparation for the Olympics.
Adebayo averaged 19.3 points, 10.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.9 blocks a game while shooting 52.1 percent for the Heat during the previous regular season. After being chosen for the All-Defensive Second Team in each of the preceding four seasons, he was also named to the NBA’s All-Defensive First Team for the first time in his career this past season. Adebayo described the transition to being a member of Team USA’s talented roster as “one of those things where you got to somehow figure out how to be a chameleon and kind of mix in and find your niche.” It is not about who can go get thirty here. On our team, each of us is the top choice or the backup. Thus, the ability to focus just on winning and leave everything else aside is crucial. You come up with small actions you can take to help with that. Adebayo’s NBA coach is with him this time, which helps. Erik Spoelstra, the head coach of the Heat, is an assistant coach for the national team, working under Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors. This is Spoelstra’s first Olympics.
The other player representing the Heat in the Paris Games is forward Nikola Jovic, who plays for Serbia. After just recovering from an ankle injury sustained during an offseason practice last month, Jovic told the Associated Press that he anticipates playing in a reserve role for Serbia in Sunday’s Olympic opener against Team USA. “I think Spo should have his own special banner if we win, just because it is his first one,” Adebayo said. Adebayo already has a banner for winning his first Olympic gold medal three years ago hanging in the Kaseya Center rafters. “I think he has a great opportunity to be a gold medal winning coach.” A second gold medal at the Olympics would only enhance Adebayo’s already stellar basketball resume.
When the Heat selected Adebayo with the 14th overall choice in the 2017 NBA Draft, it will be his seventh NBA season overall. In his first seven NBA seasons, he appeared in three NBA All-Star Games, all of which were with the Heat. If Adebayo stays with the Heat for the entirety or most of his career, he will likewise have produced at a rate that would rank him among the greatest Heat players of all time. Adebayo is on pace to surpass Udonis Haslem as the Heat’s all-time leading rebounder within the next five seasons, and at his current rate, he and retired Heat legend Dwyane Wade could wind up as the team’s all-time career leaders in a number of categories, including assists, steals, points, and two-point field goals made.
Adebayo and Dwyane Wade are the only two players who have participated in multiple Olympics while under contract with the Heat. Adebayo signed a three-year maximum contract deal this summer and is now contracted with the Heat until the 2028–2029 season. In the event that the men’s basketball squad from squad USA wins the gold medal for the fifth time in a row at the Olympics, Adebayo will make Heat franchise history by being the first player to win multiple gold medals.
“As you approach year eight, you realize how quickly time passes,” Adebayo remarked. “Every year, I just take a seat and think back on my journey from being drafted to potentially winning two gold medals at the Olympics and having the opportunity to defend the title.” It truly helps me to see things in perspective and how fortunate I am to have these possibilities.