Milwaukee Bucks guard Tyler Herro is dominating the headlines at the moment, but not for reasons he’d want. Herro was on the receiving end of a punch in the face from his former Miami Heat teammate, Bam Adebayo, on Friday, and an unflattering report came out not too long after.
Yahoo Sports’ Kelly Iko shared what opposing coaches and players think of Herro, and they don’t seem to hold him in high regard.
“According to players and coaches who have competed against the 26-year-old Herro, he’s been described as cocky and someone who consistently attempts to rile up opposing players by talking trash and insinuating he’ll fight,” Iko wrote.
“Same boring tough-guy s***,” said one individual.
Herro had notably gotten into an ugly fight with Amen Thompson during a game between the Heat and the Houston Rockets back on Dec. 29, 2024. He was slapped with a $25,000 fine for it, while Thompson was suspended for two games.
Iko says Herro has now built up an agitational reputation. It’s not one you necessarily want.
Now, one person who certainly appeared to think very highly of Herro for years was Adebayo. These two had been teammates for seven seasons on the Heat, and the big man had always sung the guard’s praises.
Herro, who averaged 20.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game in 2025-26, was complimentary of Adebayo as well, but his feelings have changed. The first signs of that came after the one-time All-Star was traded to the Bucks as part of the package for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Herro threw shade at Adebayo and Antetokounmpo by highlighting their struggles from midrange on Instagram. Something like this would have been forgotten by the time the 2026-27 season started, but there was more.
A Heat fan leaked DMs in which Herro was taking shots at Adebayo. The 26-year-old asked the fan if someone should be making $60 million to be a top defender on some nights. Herro also said he was the one on the Heat who needed help when he’s healthy, not Adebayo, and claimed teams were prioritizing taking him out of the equation in the playoffs.
Now, Herro, of course, never intended for any of this to get public, and was quite upset with the fan. The damage was done, and you did wonder what was going to happen when these two came face to face. We got the answer on Friday.
Adebayo and Herro crossed paths at a gym inside the Resorts World Casino in Las Vegas. The latter reportedly said something to the former as he stepped onto the court, which angered him. Adebayo then marched over to Herro and punched him without hesitation.
Herro declined to comment when asked about the incident later. It will be interesting to see if Adebayo has anything to say. If he’s wondering why Herro was upset with him in the first place, Iko might have the answer.
“However, there’s a growing belief — at least according to the individuals with close ties to Miami (although not currently with the team) — that a large faction of Herro’s gripe is centered around Adebayo’s silence during trade negotiations for Antetokounmpo and not stepping in privately or publicly in a way that could have reinforced Herro’s importance to the organization,” Iko wrote. “A combination of that along with the on-court difference in perception is potentially what could have led to the bubbling tension.”
You can understand a player being frustrated by a longtime teammate not standing up for them. No one in Adebayo’s position was going to go to the front office and tell them not to trade Herro for Antetokounmpo, though. You don’t pass up a chance to get one of the best players in the NBA for a good, but not great player. It’s just business, and Herro should know that by now.
