Inside The Heat

Bam Adebayo surprises the WNBA MVP

Ethan J. Skolnick|
Apr 23, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) stands on the court before a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers in game two of the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images
Apr 23, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) stands on the court before a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers in game two of the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

In this story:

Miami Heat

At times, Bam Adebayo has expressed frustration about being overlooked for NBA awards -- Defensive Player of the Year most of all. At this point, he seems to have given up hope that he will ever finish ahead of his peers.

That doesn't mean he's reluctant to celebrate the achievements of those who matter to him.

The Miami Heat captain has been known for months to be associated with Las Vegas Aces star A'Ja Wilson, who had already won three WNBA MVP awards prior to this season.

This weekend, Adebayo surprised her with her fourth.

Wilson won a close race this time, with Napheesa Collier finishing second; Collier had the stronger first half of the season but Wilson, once healthy, passed her in the second half. The win puts Wilsonabove everyone else in WNBA history, and gets her closer to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who leads all NBA players all-time with six MVPs. LeBron James has won four.

Adebayo isn't an NBA MVP candidate, but he's certainly made a name for himself in his own way, with two Olympic gold medals, three All-Star appearances and two NBA Finals appearances. He's also made All-Defense five times, though he has been consistently overlooked in the Defensive Player of the Year chase.

Adebayo and Wilson have been more open about their relationship over time, with lifestyle magazines featuring them and the Miami Heat social media accounts frequently tagging Adebayo posts with an apostrophe in tribute to A'ja. And then there's the wardrobe thing.

Wilson has more 30-point games in her career than Adebayo has in his. Heat fans should hope that Adebayo starts to close that gap, especially with Tyler Herro out for the first month of the season with an ankle injury. Adebayo may not be in contention for MVP but, for a while, the Heat need him to play like one.

MORE MIAMI HEAT NEWS

Can the Heat find strength in Kel'el Ware?

Tyler Herro to miss a month or more

Published
Ethan J. Skolnick
ETHAN J. SKOLNICK

Ethan has covered all major sports -- in South Florida and beyond -- since 1996 and is one of the longest-tenured fully credentialed members of the Miami Heat. He has covered, in total, more than 30 NBA Finals, Super Bowls, World Series and Stanley Cup Finals. After working full-time for the Miami Herald, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Palm Beach Post, Bleacher Report and several other outlets, he founded the Five Reasons Sports Network in 2019 and began hosting the Five on the Floor podcast as part of that network. The podcast is regularly among the most downloaded one-team focused NBA podcasts in the nation, and the network is the largest independent sports outlet in South Florida, by views, listens and social media reach. He has a B.A. from The Johns Hopkins University and an M.S. from Columbia University. TWITTER: @EthanJSkolnick and @5ReasonsSports EMAIL: fllscribe@gmail.com

Share on XFollow EthanJSkolnick
Home/News