The Miami Heat have been one of the NBA’s most competitive franchises over the past two decades, with championship titles in 2006, 2012, and 2013, along with four other Finals appearances. That legacy comes with high expectations, and as a team leader, Bam Adebayo is no stranger to those demands. However, he revealed he dislikes one aspect of his role with the Heat: serving as team captain.
“Do I hate it? Yeah. But it’s the responsibility you’re dealt with. It’s like anything, pros and cons,” Adebayo said in an interview with ClutchPoints on Friday. He likened his role to a corporate leader’s responsibilities: “CEO of the company has pros and cons. You’re a CEO, but it’s like, it’s a nice title till you got to go down the line to do what you got to actually do as a CEO. Take your job seriously.”
Bam acknowledged his ambivalence: “For me, man, it’s a love-hate relationship.” He elaborated further, emphasizing the challenges of motivating and uniting the team: “It’s one of those things where you hang around people, and they put you in this role where they want you to bring everybody with you. And that’s kind of the captain role, being able to have everybody, one through 15, motivated.”
It’s also an honor for Adebayo
Despite the challenges he talked about, Bam Adebayo recognizes the honor and trust that come with being named captain. The title reflects his value to the Miami Heat organization, both on and off the court.
“You have a guy like (Dwyane) D-Wade calling you the cornerstone… You have a guy like UD (Udonis Haslem). You hear his story, calling you the captain,” Adebayo shared. “I mean, down the line, it says people trust you… People trust you to put this championship on top and get a championship.”
The Heat’s struggles this season
As Adebayo acknowledged, the Miami Heat enter every season with the goal of competing deep into the Eastern Conference Playoffs. While that expectation remained intact heading into the current campaign, the team’s performances and results have fallen short so far.
“(Expletive) no, nobody wants to be 6-7. We’re not even aiming for 6-7—that’s below average. But you live in your reality,” Adebayo candidly admitted when asked about the Heat’s slow start to the 2024-25 season. “Now we’ve got to try to figure this out, and it’s kind of us pushing the brinks with it. As far as a team, great camaraderie, we’re still trying to find solutions on how to be better.”