Inside The Heat

Bam Adebayo, Snoop Dogg Take In Inaugural Breaking Competition At Olympics

Shandel Richardson|
Jul 31, 2024; Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France; United States center Bam Adebayo (13) dribbles in the third quarter against South Sudan during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade Pierre-Mauroy. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 31, 2024; Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France; United States center Bam Adebayo (13) dribbles in the third quarter against South Sudan during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade Pierre-Mauroy. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports | John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

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Miami Heat

If only the latest event in the Olympics was around during the 1980s.

On Friday, the breaking competition made its debut in Paris. It is based on the popular dance craze from 40 years ago. It was back when characters named Turbo and Ozone starred in the movie Breakin," a cult classic. There were others movies such as Beat Street that captured the breakdancing community.

Rapper Snoop Dogg and Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo were among those to take in the first day of competition. Breaking is one of four new sports at the Olympics, joining sport climbing, surfing and skateboarding.

Snoop's appearance was expected because he remains one of the most iconic rappers in history. Adebayo, meanwhile, is perhaps too young to remember when breakin' was a thing. He was born in 1997, meaning he missed the era by 20 years.

Still, it's probably a good way for Adebayo to spend a day off from competition. After helping Team USA defeat Serbia in the basketball semifinals, he hopes to win another gold medal in Saturday's title game against France.

Adebayo also won gold during the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

The Americans are coming off an intense comeback victory against Serbia. The team was down double-digits entering the fourth quarter but rallied behind Steph Curry and LeBron James. Curry led the way with 36 points.

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Miami Heat On SI. 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