Sunday was the 24th birthday of Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo, and he used to occasion to give a shout-out to late Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant.
Adebayo is a rising star and one of the NBA’s better big men. He broke into the NBA four seasons ago out of the University of Kentucky and put up some nondescript stats as a rookie.
But this season, he averaged 18.7 points, 9.0 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game while expanding his offensive repertoire a bit. He was also being discussed as a candidate for the Defensive Player of the Year award.
Adebayo is currently the starting center for Team USA as it looks to win the gold medal at the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
There is some reason for concern regarding Team USA’s chances, as it has lost multiple exhibition games already.
Adebayo will need to step up his game if the Americans are to win the gold again since Bradley Beal has been ruled out due to being placed in the COVID-19 health and safety protocols.