- Max Strus says it would be hard to be Luka Doncic’s teammate because he ‘has the ball in his hands the whole time’
- Rapper Boosie Badazz goes after Dwyane Wade and his family, questions his sexuality
- Jimmy Butler when asked what’s ahead for the Miami Heat: ‘A championship’
- Report: Miami Heat willing to move Kyle Lowry
- NBA executive says Bam Adebayo is a ‘top 10, top 15 player’ in the NBA when he’s ‘aggressive’
- Erik Spoelstra says he didn’t run a single play for Jimmy Butler over the 1st 3 quarters of Friday’s win
- Miami Heat legend Alonzo Mourning takes a shot at current NBA stars who engage in load management
- Jimmy Butler makes a promise to Pat Riley: ‘We’re getting your 10th championship’
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Bam Adebayo Says Team USA Snub Still Motivating Him in Breakout Season
- Updated: January 9, 2020
Bill Streicher / USA TODAY Sports
Bam Adebayo is still bothered by being cut from Team USA prior to the start of the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
When Team USA chose Myles Turner, Brook Lopez and Mason Plumlee ahead of him, Adebayo took the pain of being cut and channeled it into his game.
Though he insists he doesn’t take the snub personally against any of the three players who made the squad, Adebayo admits that he is using the fact that he was cut from Team USA to fuel his fire.
“I think the whole USA thing motivates me,” Adebayo said. “It’s not a particular player, more so the whole USA situation. I have got a bigger chip on my shoulder than before it happened, but things happen for a reason.”
Even in his matchups against Turner, Adebayo says it’s nothing personal.
“I wouldn’t take anything personal against a player,” Adebayo explained. “It wasn’t his decision for me not to be on the team. Just trying to prove them wrong.”
In Wednesday’s win over the Indiana Pacers, Adebayo certainly outplayed Turner. Turner finished the night with nine points, five rebounds and two assists. Adebayo posted a near double-double with 18 points, nine rebounds and four assists.
The University of Kentucky product is averaging 15.7 points, 10.6 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.2 blocks per game this season.
His all-around brilliance has helped the Heat claim the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed with a record of 27-10.
In a season where he has a good chance at making the All-Star Game, while Turner, Lopez and Plumlee are long shots at best, Adebayo is showing everyone this season that Team USA was wrong to send him home last summer.
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