Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo signed a massive contract extension this offseason.
The big man made his first All-Star team during the 2019-20 season, and the Heat did not hesitate to lock him up on a long-term deal.
Adebayo revealed he got some advice from teammate Udonis Haslem on how to go about his contract extension.
Adebayo could have waited to sign his extension until after this season when he would’ve been a restricted free agent, but Haslem urged him to get paid as soon as possible.
“He only had one answer for me, and that was the right answer that I wanted to hear,” Adebayo said. “It was like, ‘Man, get your money.’ So there was no waiting until next year just because of the simple fact that next year is a what if. Like what if COVID happens? There’s COVID, it’s a pandemic. You don’t know what’s going to go on next year. So it wasn’t about anything with basketball. It was about job security. ‘This is your life. You got to take care of your momma.’”
Heat fans are certainly happy that Adebayo didn’t leave the decision to next offseason.
Miami made the NBA Finals last season with the help of Adebayo’s breakout year. Now, the Heat clearly view him as an integral part of their future.
During the 2019-20 campaign, Adebayo averaged 15.9 points, 10.2 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game. All of those numbers were career-highs for Adebayo.
