Inside Bam Adebayo’s busy and productive All-Star Weekend, and what he took from it
When Bam Adebayo walked into RPM Steak for a late dinner in chilly Chicago following the NBA’s All-Star Saturday Night, he was greeted with a loud ovation from the restaurant’s customers.
Adebayo’s family and close friends were waiting for him upstairs in a private room and had no idea what the cheering downstairs was for. That’s when Kevin Graves put down his drink and walked over to see what was going on.
“We just heard the whole restaurant explode,” said Graves, who was Adebayo’s AAU coach and is now a close friend and mentor. “We look down and here’s Bam walking through the restaurant with the Skills Challenge trophy.”
It was that type of weekend for Adebayo. The ever-improving 22-year-old used to be the Miami Heat’s secret, but the former University of Kentucky star stepped into the national spotlight and made the most of every moment during his first All-Star experience.
“It’s a good feeling, boy,” Adebayo’s mother, Marilyn Blount, said of watching her son during All-Star Weekend. “I’m telling you.”
Adebayo arrived to Chicago early Thursday morning, and made an appearance at the premiere of Dwyane Wade’s documentary on Thursday night.
On Friday, Adebayo began the day by spending a few hours participating with other All-Stars in Jr. NBA Day — a series of basketball clinics that included more than 1,000 public school students from Chicago — and then made a guest appearance on ESPN’s “The Jump” in the afternoon. That night, he was cheering on Heat teammate Kendrick Nunn in the Rising Stars Game.
After speaking to a large group of reporters on Saturday morning at All-Star Media Day, he went through practice with Team Giannis in preparation for the All-Star Game. The day then continued with an appearance at a JBL audio event alongside Bucks superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo on Saturday afternoon. But Adebayo’s long day wasn’t done yet, with Adebayo winning the Skills Challenge on Saturday night.
Sunday was the lightest day of the weekend for Adebayo. But even that day included his first All-Star Game, as he finished with eight points, two rebounds and one assist in 12 minutes but lost to Team LeBron while playing alongside Heat teammate Jimmy Butler as a member of Team Giannis.
This busy schedule didn’t happen by accident. Adebayo planned it this way.
“I feel like the first [All-Star Weekend], you might as well go all out,” Adebayo said. “I feel like I went all out this weekend.”
Those around Adebayo saw the hectic weekend as his introduction to stardom.
“He’s a superstar. He’s not a star. To me, he’s a superstar,” Graves said. “Superstars have to do that. Giannis doesn’t come to All-Star Weekend and just chill in his room. LeBron doesn’t come to All-Star Weekend and just chill out. Chris Paul doesn’t do that. Bam is entering the realm of superstar status.
“You have to move around, man, and show the world that you appreciate your peers and what they’re doing. But you also got work to do off the court.”
The highlight of Adebayo’s weekend was winning the Skills Challenge. He dedicated the trophy to Blount, who raised Adebayo as a single mother in a single-wide trailer home in Little Washington, N.C.
“When he dedicated it to me and I grabbed my face, I thought for sure they were going to put the camera on me,” Blount said. “But I’m glad they didn’t. There were tears.”
Adebayo became the second Heat player to ever win the Skills Challenge. Wade is the only other Heat player to ever take part in the event, participating in it three times (2006, 2007, 2008) and winning it in 2006 and 2007. Another former Kentucky star, Karl-Anthony Towns, won the event in 2016.
Aside from that, Adebayo also pointed to conversations with Hall of Fame guard Allen Iverson and actor Chris Tucker as moments that stuck out from his weekend. The fact that Iverson and Tucker even knew who he was surprised Adebayo.
“I didn’t expect A.I. to know who I was,” he said. “As soon as he walked past me, he knew my name and he knew who I was. Just the comments. And Chris Tucker was a shocker. I didn’t know he knew me, either. That’s the thing about basketball, you do good things, you start to get recognition.”
Adebayo is certainly doing good things this season. He’s averaging career-highs in points (15.8), rebounds (10.4), assists (4.9), steals (1.2), blocks (1.2) and minutes (34.5) in his third NBA season.
Adebayo is one of only two players averaging at least 15 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block this season — a short list that also includes Antetokounmpo.
The NBA has learned this season that Adebayo has the potential to become one of the league’s best big men for years to come. But the past few days in Chicago gave others an opportunity to get to know his name.
“I don’t think it’s a breakout weekend,” Adebayo said. “I think it’s more of a breakout season for me. I don’t discredit what I did before the All-Star break. I feel like I deserve to be here, and just being here and proving that I just got another accolade [Skills Challenge trophy] is putting more people on notice.”
Last year, All-Star Weekend was in Adebayo’s home state of North Carolina. But he stayed away from Charlotte, instead opting to spend All-Star Weekend going through workouts at Graves’ house in Greensboro, N.C.
Adebayo did have one All-Star experience last year, though. He made the 90-minute drive from Greensboro to Charlotte to watch Wade play in his final All-Star Game.
“Last year, home town, home state, All-Star Weekend in Charlotte, we didn’t go to anything,” Graves said. “We went back home to my house. He didn’t go to the Celebrity Game. He didn’t go to the Dunk contest. He didn’t go to the Rising Stars Game. He didn’t go to anything.
“The only thing we did was drive to Charlotte, went to the All-Star Game itself. I told him, ‘You’re going to be here one day.’ I didn’t know it would be one year later, but I said, ‘You’re going to be here one day.’ We drove, went to the game, watched the game and went home.”
A lot of things have changed over the past 12 months.
There weren’t many All-Star events Adebayo missed this year. He made sure to experience and make the most of it all, as his star continues to rise.
“It’s definitely a confidence booster,” Adebayo said of All-Star Weekend. “My confidence is definitely through the roof right now and I’m looking forward to getting back on the court with my teammates.”
The Heat returns to practice Wednesday and resumes its schedule Thursday against the Hawks in Atlanta.
As Adebayo sat at a table following Sunday night’s All-Star Game, he slumped over to talk to reporters as the feeling of exhaustion started to weigh on his shoulders. It was that kind of weekend for Adebayo — a productive one.
“I’m tired. I’m not going to lie to y’all,” he said. “I’m tired. It has been a long weekend. It has been fun. I’m ready to go lay down. I’m ready to get back in the sun.”
This story was originally published February 17, 2020 at 2:59 PM with the headline "Inside Bam Adebayo’s busy and productive All-Star Weekend, and what he took from it."