Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo is proud to be representing his nation this summer as a member of Team USA at the Tokyo Olympics.
Not only that, but he has earned his way into the starting five.
Team USA will start Bam Adebayo, Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, Damian Lillard, and Jayson Tatum against Team Nigeria @TheAthleticNBA
— Joe Vardon (@joevardon) July 10, 2021
Adebayo has made major strides since coming to the NBA in 2017. He has evolved from mostly a defensive center to one who also makes a substantial impact on the offensive end in multiple ways.
This season, he put up 18.7 points, 9.0 rebounds and 5.4 assists a game. Unfortunately, many of his teammates were in and out of the lineup due to health issues, and the Heat ultimately got swept by the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the playoffs.
Many feel Adebayo got snubbed by not being named to the All-Star team and not being chosen as a finalist for the Defensive Player of the Year award.
The Olympic games are proceeding despite the spread of the novel coronavirus in Japan. Very few residents of the island nation have been vaccinated against the pathogen.