Inside The Heat

"Love and basketball" as Bam Adebayo supports his champion

Ethan J. Skolnick

Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images
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In the morning, Bam Adebayo was at Miami Heat practice in Florida, fulfilling his responsibilities as the team's captain.

At night, Adebayo was in Arizona, filling a more enjoyable role.

Adebayo was on hand as his girlfriend -- yes, they're at last open about it -- won another WNBA championship with the Las Vegas Aces, A'ja Wilson now has three championships and two Finals MVPs. She also just won her fourth regular season WNBA MVP trophy, which Adebayo presented to her after a practice during the playoffs.

In the clinching win against the Phoenix Mercury to secure a 3-0 sweep, Wilson had 31 points, nine rebounds, four assists, three blocks and two steals.

She dominated, as she often does.

After the win, her relationship with Adebayo did, as several outlets referenced the duo as "Love and Basketball," a reference to an old movie with a similar theme. "Cute" was the word sent around social media. But there's a real professional benefit to their relationship so far for both.

As they have become more public about their situation, Adebayo and Wilson have credited each other with helping the other in a variety of ways, from post play to mental approaches. Now, of course, Heat fans want some of this winning to carry over to their team. Adebayo has reached two NBA Finals but never won one, and he's been snubbed for the Defensive Player of the Year award repeatedly, an award Wilson just captured for her league.

For Wilson, the celebration will continue for some time, whereas Adebayo needs to get back to work. The Heat face the Magic in Orlando on Sunday, for a fourth preseason game. Adebayo has been underwhelming in the preseason thus far, but the Heat are not concerned whether he will return to his prior form.

Reaching Wilson's form, however, will take some doing.

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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

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