It’s not as if Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo lacked confidence before All-Star Weekend after having a stellar first half of the season.
He’s averaging 15.8 points, 10.4 rebounds and 4.9 assists — statistical benchmarks only three other players in the league have achieved this season.
The 22-year-old big man has received praise from legends and other top players for his impact on the Heat’s strong play before the All-Star break, with the team’s 35-19 record only four wins away from last year’s win total.
But being on center stage against the NBA’s best players has pushed Adebayo’s belief in himself to greater heights.
“My confidence is definitely through the roof right now,” Adebayo said after making his first All-Star appearance on Sunday. He had eight points, two rebounds and an assist in 11 minutes in the annual exhibition.
Adebayo admitted he had the jitters before checking into Sunday’s game, but his nerves settled down as he made his first four field-goal attempts after checking in midway through the first quarter.
He realized the magnitude of his achievement after not playing in the Rising Stars game in his first two seasons, while Team Giannis and Team LeBron were entrenched in an intense back-and-forth battle that LeBron James’ team eventually won.
“It hit me toward the end of the game,” Adebayo said. “Just looking down the bench and when you’re on the court, you start to realize, ‘I’m an All-Star.’ Great experience for me and I’m looking forward to being back on this stage.”
While he relished the opportunity to play in the All-Star Game, Adebayo said the experience that stuck out for him the most was when he won the Skills Challenge on Saturday and dedicated the trophy to his mom.
“I was last to win it [according to Vegas odds], so it felt great to prove a lot of people wrong,” Adebayo said.
Before the All-Star break, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said he was most excited about the life-changing conversations Adebayo would have with some of the league’s current and former stars. Of all the interactions, one stood above the rest.
“I would have to say [Allen Iverson],” Adebayo said. “I didn’t expect AI to know who I was. As soon as I walked past him, he knew my name and knew who I was.”
What did Iverson say to Adebayo that stuck with him?
“I can’t tell you,” Adebayo said. “It was all positive feedback. That’s a legend and he was giving me really good advice.”
Even celebrities outside of basketball have started to recognize Adebayo.
“And [actor] Chris Tucker,” Adebayo said. “Chris Tucker was a shocker. That’s the thing about basketball — you do good things and you start to get recognition.”
Adebayo’s fellow All-Star teammate Jimmy Butler, who finished Sunday’s game with four points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals, wasn’t surprised by the recognition the third-year big man has received.
“It’s so impressive what he’s been doing for himself as a player, and then what he’s been doing for our team,” Butler said. “He really is the reason why we’re winning. Without him, we can’t be the team we are. I’m happy for him, proud of him. It is a brotherhood that we have, but I love that dude to death.”
With All-Star Weekend behind him, Adebayo plans on getting some much-needed rest before meeting back up with the team later in the week ahead of its final 28 games.
He said he wants to see the team get back to building winning habits after a troubling five-game road trip (1-4) leading into the break.
“I feel like that’s an emphasis we’ve been grinding towards,” Adebayo said.
