The Miami Heat successfully landed the biggest prize of this offseason in Giannis Antetokounmpo, but failed in their pursuit of another big one. The Heat were attempting to bring LeBron James back to South Beach, but saw him sign with the Philadelphia 76ers instead.
It would have been a hard pill to swallow, but Bam Adebayo once again made it clear at his camp on Sunday that he has no hard feelings towards James.
“I’m cool with Bron,” Adebayo said, via Brendan Tobin. “I consider Bron like a brother, honestly. We’ve been Olympic teammates, but even before that, we’ve always had down-to-earth conversations. So I’m happy for him. You want what’s best for somebody, and that’s really how you go from there.”
Adebayo had previously said he wasn’t disappointed by James’ decision to join the 76ers and that he was happy for him. The 29-year-old also revealed then that he had told his friend via text message he was going to bust his a** on the court.
Adebayo had shared excitement over how strong the Eastern Conference is looking as well. James averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game in 2025-26, and landing him on a two-year, $8 million deal has made the 76ers one of the favorites to win the East.
The Heat are hoping to be in the mix as well. They missed the playoffs last season and had been eliminated in the first round in back-to-back years prior to that. A big move was needed, and the Heat managed to acquire Antetokounmpo from the Milwaukee Bucks. The two-time MVP is the best player Adebayo will have played with on the Heat, and he’s looking forward to sharing the court with him.
“You look forward to it,” Adebayo said. “You look forward to the excitement around the season. I feel like Pat [Riley] has been trying to get somebody that star level for a while now. So, being able to have that shift and that change, we’re looking for growth. We’re looking at obviously winning games and having some fun.”
Adebayo and Antetokounmpo were actually spotted together in Las Vegas a day after ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on the trade. The three-time All-Star was asked what their initial conversations were like, and it appears they are like-minded.
“We’re ready to get to work,” Adebayo said. “The goal is to win a championship. That’s his mindset. We have a like mindset when it comes to that. So those conversations are really about winning.”
Now, despite acquiring Antetokounmpo, who averaged 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game in 2025-26, the Heat are not being talked about as a serious title contender. There isn’t enough shooting and ball-handling on that roster currently, but Adebayo remains confident.
“We’ll figure it out,” Adebayo said. “We don’t really worry about the outside noise too much. We’ve done a lot more with less in our past years before, so we’ll figure it out.”
The Heat, of course, made it to the NBA Finals in 2020 and 2023. They were the eighth seed in the East in 2023 and still got to the grand stage.
So, the Heat know all about punching above their weight. They weren’t able to get over the line on either occasion, though, and are hoping Antetokounmpo can be that difference-maker.
Adebayo will have to step up as well. He averaged 20.1 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game in 2025-26. Adebayo made the All-Defensive Second Team and will need to be at his very best on that end of the floor.
