No relationship between two passionate people is ever perfect, and that’s certainly the case with Miami Heat big man Bam Adebayo and his head coach Erik Spoelstra.
The two have worked together since Adebayo was selected by the Heat with the 14th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, and the University of Kentucky product recently opened up a bit on how the two have clashed at times.
“We have those moments where me and him clash…clash…clash,” Adebayo said, according to Jason Quick of The Athletic. “There’s been a couple times where we’ve pissed each other off and we’ve got to arguing on the sideline.”
Spoelstra is no stranger to clashing with his players, with some notable incidents coming during the 2012 playoffs with Dwyane Wade and last season with Jimmy Butler.
However, those types of clashes haven’t stopped the 52-year-old from constantly gaining respect from his players.
“That’s the wizardness of Spo,” Adebayo said. “He just gets guys to buy into his coaching style. He makes guys believe in his system, and he makes guys believe in being better than what they thought they were.”
During his time in the league, Adebayo has developed from a bit of a project player into a two-time All-Star. Spoelstra undoubtedly has played a big role in that development, and he has never shied away from giving his starting center praise.
Adebayo has admitted to clashing with Spoelstra before, but it seems like the two have never really been in a large fight. With the 25-year-old tied down to the Heat for a while and no sign of Spoelstra leaving the organization anytime soon, their relationship is key.
Right now, the two are certainly fully focused on doing their best so that the Heat make it to the 2023 playoffs. Miami is currently in seventh place in the Eastern Conference, though it still has an outside shot at claiming the sixth seed.
Miami needs to win out and have the Brooklyn Nets, who are currently in sixth place, lose both of their remaining regular season games in order to jump them in the standings.
If Brooklyn were to win either of its last two games, then it would clinch the final outright playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
The Heat’s next contest will come on Friday night against the Washington Wizards.