During Sunday night's game as the Miami Heat will take on the Charlotte Hornets, the team will celebrate Dwyane Wade's enshrinement into the Naismith Hall of Fame. Inside the Kaseya Center, they will show highlights from his career and have a bunch of festivities like DJ Khaled performing after the game and Wade himself having an interview at halftime.
There have been a ton of players on Miami that he has impacted with one being star big-man Bam Adebayo. He did an interview with Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald where he talked about the relationship the two had, what he means to him, and much more.
“Our relationship is very authentic, it’s true, it’s honest,” Adebayo said. “And the biggest thing I’ve always told D-Wade is never lie to me. And he’s kept that promise. I feel like that’s what makes our relationship so unique because I don’t have to see him every day. I call him every once in a while, he’ll call me before the playoffs, he might text me during the playoffs. It’s him wanting to see, obviously, the place that he built succeed.”
Adebayo “shocked” he was invited to Wade's Hall of Fame ceremony
Adebayo was a rookie when Wade was traded back to Miami after having stints with the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers, then played a full year with the basketball legend in the 2018-19 season before his retirement. There is no doubt they formed a bond, even with Wade inviting Adebayo to his Hall of Fame ceremony last August according to The Miami Herald.
“I was definitely shocked because that’s an intimate moment for a lot of people,” Adebayo said. “And to be a part of that, you have to look at yourself as one of those people that you’re now one of his closest people. I mean, I went to the man’s Hall of Fame induction. That sounds crazy to say.”
Adebayo learned to be “patient” from Wade
When playing with an icon like Wade who has accomplished so much in his career and specifically with the Heat as he won three championships, there has to be aspects you can learn. Adebayo said the one trait he learned was “being patient.”
“Being patient. I feel like that was the biggest conversation I had with him, being patient,” Adebayo said. “When I was younger, I was mad about minutes, I was mad I wasn’t playing. I didn’t know why I wasn’t playing. And D-Wade kind of came to me and said, ‘Look, young fella, you got to be patient. Sometimes you’re not going to get out there and play right away. You got to earn that.’”
Adebayo said that he wants to be on the walls of the locker room and “championship alley” like Wade has been. While the star big-man has been to two NBA Finals, he hasn't won a championship. However, the 26-year old wants to have a career with the Heat like Wade did even if it is almost insurmountable to achieve.
“Being able to be with a franchise as long as you are and, two, being able to bring a championship and being at the top of all the franchise records besides a man who won the first one here,” Adebayo said. “That’s an opportunity and that’s a blessing.”
Whether he accomplishes as much as Wade is “TBA” obviously, but he has been very efficient this season as he averages 22 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game. The Heat come into Sunday night's game against the Hornets at 22-16 which puts them seventh in the Eastern Conference.
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