Inside The Heat

Miami Heat's Bam Adebayo Left Off The All-NBA Teams

Shandel Richardson

Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
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It was supposed to continue a season of firsts for Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo.

Instead, it was just another snub.

On Wednesday, Adebayo was left off the three All-NBA teams after having the best season of his career. He only received four third-place votes for a total of seven points. The disappointment came just one day after celebrating the first time he made first-team All-Defense.

"In his growth spurt from his rookie to what he is right now has been off the chart," Heat team president Pat Riley said. "Everybody in the league knows what his game is. They all know what he does for us, how important he is for us in a lot of areas." 

The first team consisted of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder), Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets), Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks), Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks) and Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics). Jalen Brunson (New York Knicks), Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves), Kevin Durant (Phoenix Suns), Kawhi Leonard (Los Angeles Clippers and Anthony Davis (Los Angeles Lakers).

Adebayo figured to make the third-team but was passed over for LeBron James (Lakers), Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors), Domantas Sabonis (Sacramento Kings), Tyrese Haliburton (Indiana Pacers) and Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns).

Despite the disappointing end, this was the finest season of Adebayo's career. He averaged 19.3 points, 10.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 0.9 blocks. He was easily the Heat's most consistent performer, especially with Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro missing extended time due to injuries.

This was also the first time Adebayo served as team captain, filling a role that was held by Udonis Haslem for the past several years. Adebayo handled it with ease, serving as the on-court leader while also being a mentor to younger players Nikola Jovic and Jaime Jaquez.

“Seeing Bam’s leadership in a different way as the team captain, that’s been one of my joys to watch him grow, on and off the court," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "But seeing how he influenced in a different way, than just with his inspiring plays on a basketball court.”

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Inside The Heat. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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Shandel Richardson

SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here