Klay Thompson will not be representing the United States in the upcoming Summer Olympics, where LeBron James and Stephen Curry will be looking to take Team USA to the top at Paris 2024.
But it looks like The King may have identified an unexpected successor to the former Golden State Warriors star, who now finds himself in a different situation as he aims to get his career back on track with the Dallas Mavericks.
“The new Splash Brother! Bam Bam Splash right there,” said LeBron while pointing at Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo in the tunnel after Team USA’s 105-79 win over Serbia in an exhibition game.
That’s the nickname Thompson and Curry got during their best years in the Bay area, but Adebayo’s impressive three-point performance has drawn some surprising parallels with Klay’s best days.
The Heat star recorded 17 points, eight rebounds and three assists shooting six of his field goals, going 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. Unlike Thompson, Adebayo has been on the rise in the NBA, and now is expected to be an important contributor on Team USA in the Olympics.
Bam Adebayo looking forward to helping LeBron, Team USA win Gold
Adebayo may be drawing plenty of praise at this stage of his career, but he’s not letting the outside noise distract him from the ultimate goal, which is to help LeBron James and everyone at Team USA win Gold at Paris 2024.
“Nobody’s going to remember stats,” Adebayo said, via Matthew Ho of USAB.com. “Nobody’s going to remember minutes. All they’re going to see when it’s all said and done is ‘Olympic gold medalist’. I feel like that matters more than however many points or how many touches.”
Erik Spoelstra appreciates Adebayo’s team-first mentality
Bam already knows what is like to go the distance in the Olympics, having helped Team USA win the Gold medal at Tokyo 2020. Now, he’s looking to help an even more star-studded squad repeat the feat, contributing in every way he can.
“What I think Bam has done more than anything with these Olympic nods is that it shows he can play whatever role is necessary because he’s all about winning,” Team USA assistant and Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said about Adebayo. “He can fit into any team and be a value add.”