For Bam Adebayo, it has become about legacy — with the Miami Heat and beyond.
So as he moves closer to this weekend’s opening tip of the basketball competition at the Paris Olympics, the focus for the 27-year-old big man is on another banner moment.
Upon returning to Miami from Japan with Olympic gold in 2021, Adebayo saw his name raised to the Kaseya Center rafters alongside those from the Heat who previously secured such Olympic gold medals: Alonzo Mourning, Tim Hardaway, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James.
“I think it’ll be dope,” Adebayo said of potentially having a second banner, “because it’s not about yourself.”
This time, the Olympic experience comes with Heat coach Erik Spoelstra alongside, with Spoelstra serving as an assistant on Steve Kerr’s Team USA coaching staff.
“So if I get a banner,” Adebayo continued, “I feel like he should get mentioned at the bottom of it with his last name. Spo obviously is one of those people where he doesn’t want credit, even though he takes on a lot of responsibility.
“So I feel like it would be dope to have that moment when you look up and you see you share a moment with your coach, where you both went through something in the summer that you didn’t have to sign up for — to go get gold and share that moment.”
Unlike when Adebayo won in the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics, this Olympic roster has more of a legacy feel to it, with LeBron James and Stephen Curry in the mix.
Kerr already has pointed to the volume of future Hall of Famers on the current roster.
“I think we have the potential to be one of the best teams that’s been in the Olympics on the side of the USA squad.” Adebayo said. “That’s great that he said it. But he’s not saying it just to be like, ‘Oh, we’re laying down.’ He could be doing that to blow smoke. For us, it’s keeping the main thing the main thing, that’s winning the gold medal. And then we can talk about that later.
“Obviously right now, the opportunity at hand is to go out there and compete and win games and win the gold. Until we do that, then we can talk about the best team and whatever is assembled, the Dream Team. We’ll talk about that after we get the gold.”
The camaraderie with James and Curry already has been building during the team’s pre-Olympic tour.
“Cherishing the moment being out there with two Hall of Famers, just having the opportunity to learn from them, having the opportunity to talk to them, bounce ideas off of ’em,” Adebayo said. “That’s not doing anything but helping me at the end of the day.”
As he emerges as a Heat leading man, having signed a three-year, $166 million extension before taking flight with Team USA for exhibitions in Abu Dhabi and London, Adebayo said he appreciates this is a time to play in support.
“I’m not there to score 30,” he said. “Obviously we have enough people out there to get 30. My role is bigger than that. Just being one of the leaders, being one of the guys who over-communicates, the defensive anchor.
“Obviously we have a team where you can platoon, and you don’t have to play anybody 40 minutes.”
In Tokyo, amid the pandemic, the Olympic opportunities were limited.
Now the Adebayo plans to seize the moment.
So what does he want to take in?
“Water polo,” he said. “I’ve watched it on TV the first time, but you really don’t understand how hard it is to tread water, understanding how they’re treading water and obviously trying to score. But if you look under the water, kicking each other in the leg. When you think about it, in every different sport, it’s always difficult, it’s always a diversity, it’s always something, a different twist to it.”
And fencing.
“Fencing is one that I feel like I can actually gear up to jump into the ring in,” he said. “I feel like I’ve got the wingspan for it.”
But, as with many, hopefully finding the time and the way to take in seven-time Olympic medalist Simon Biles at the gymnastics competition.
“I mean just think of the barriers she’s broken through, the type of limitations people try to put on her,” Adebayo said.
“To be that good, no excuse me, to be that great, and to have people find ways to make you average, and you still keep breaking those barriers. To be able to just see that and hopefully get a picture with her, it would mean a lot. Because she’s done a lot not only for the faces of us, but for her sport as a whole.”
Team USA Olympic men’s basketball schedule
Sunday, 11:15 ET, vs. Serbia, Lille, France.
July 31, 3 p.m. ET, vs. South Sudan, Lille, France.
Aug. 3, 11:15 ET, vs. Puerto Rico, Lille, France.
Aug. 6, quarterfinals, Paris
Aug. 8, semifinals, Paris
Aug. 10, bronze and gold medal games, Paris
