The Miami Heat came away with a dominant 132-101 win over the Washington Wizards on Sunday night. However, the real highlight from the game was a thunderous dunk by Bam Adebayo on Kel’el Ware during the second quarter.
In an unexpected turn of events, after a missed jump shot attempt by Davion Mitchell, Bam Adebayo swooped in for a rebound, though Kel’el Ware was in position to secure the possession.
In the process of crashing the glass, Adebayo took off the ground and threw down an explosive dunk over Ware.
BAM ADEBAYO POSTER SLAM ON KEL’EL WARE pic.twitter.com/aSoQOyYaom
— Heat Clips 🎬 (@MiamiClip) February 8, 2026
Needless to say, this was an embarrassing moment for Ware, who was completely caught off guard on the play. To add to his misery, Adebayo hilariously reacted to the highlight in the Heat locker room, flexing in front of his teammate.
Bam reacts to that poster 💥😂 pic.twitter.com/B70GvGzssM
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) February 8, 2026
After the game, Bam Adebayo was asked to recall the moment and break down the sequence leading up to his poster dunk. He responded:
“100%, 100% he was down there. I had a free runway, too. I didn’t know it was going to bounce that perfectly, though, and then he jumped. I was like, ‘Oh yeah.’ If you might look around the next couple of days on my social media, and the profile pictures are somebody getting dunked on, y’all know who it is.”
Adebayo admitted that it wasn’t the first time he had dunked on Kel’el Ware, stating that he had done it in practice. But when comparing the plays, he noted that this poster was closer to “prime Blake Griffin.”
During his post-game media availability, Ware also shared his side of being dunked on, claiming:
“I was in a good place; I was going to grab the rebound. To be honest, he doesn’t even crash, and then the unfortunate happened.”
The impact of the dunk resonated across Miami’s locker room, as even Heat guard Norman Powell added that he would talk to the young center about getting his chance at redemption. Unfortunately, Ware’s embarrassment continued as Bam Adebayo continued to troll his teammate on social media.
Needless to say, despite the tension surrounding the Heat before the trade deadline, the current state of the locker room appears to be much more positive. With all the players in good spirits, the Heat look like a competitive unit again.
The pair of Bam Adebayo and Kel’el Ware was particularly effective against the Wizards on Sunday night. Although the two are seldom used together, the Heat’s success with both on the floor may form a blueprint for future outings.
Adebayo led the charge against the Wizards, posting 22 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and five steals for the game. Meanwhile, Ware added 19 points, 14 rebounds, and a block.
Despite a solid night, Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra will demand more from Ware moving forward. Given his tendency for inconsistent outings, Miami will hope to see Ware build upon this performance and earn more minutes in the rotation.
With this win, the Heat improved to 28-26 on the season, securing sixth place in the East. Having snapped a two-game losing streak, Miami will aim to string together a series of wins to improve its position in the conference.
