Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo has two primary goals for the Paris Olympics: win a gold medal and get a picture with Simone Biles. Adebayo, along with his fellow U.S. men's basketball team members have never attended a gymnastics meet, but are eager to support her in Paris.
“To be that good — well, excuse me, to be that great — and she still keeps breaking barriers,” Adebayo said, via the Associated Press. “To be able to see that just one time and hopefully get a picture with her, it'd mean a lot because she's done a lot for not only the faces of us but for her sport as a whole.”
As the most decorated gymnast in history with 37 Olympic and world championship medals, Biles is not only the face of the U.S. Olympic Team but arguably the face of the Paris Games, and the basketball team is determined to see Biles perform live.
“I heard it's really expensive to get in,” said U.S. guard Tyrese Haliburton, whose new five-year, $245 million contract with the Indiana Pacers begins next NBA season. “But I think I can make that work.”
The players believe witnessing Biles in action is worth any cost. At 4-foot-8, Biles' athleticism is extraordinary. During the U.S. Olympic trials in Minneapolis, she reached a height of 12 feet in her floor routine's first tumbling pass, surpassing a basketball rim's height of 10 feet.
“She's the best,” three-time Olympic medalist LeBron James said. “It's that simple. She's the best.”
Simone Biles admired by many
The admiration for Biles extends to other basketball stars like Devin Booker, who expressed his desire to watch her break records.
“It's really inspiring,” Booker said. “That's another thing I missed last go-round. I wasn't able to watch any other events or see any other countries or anything. I'll be there in full support if I have the time and the schedule matches up.”
Biles' longevity in gymnastics, a sport dominated by teenagers, also impresses the basketball team. At 19, Biles won gold at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games. Now 27, she could become the second-oldest Olympic women's all-around champion if she wins in Paris.
“I've got to go see that,” Kevin Durant said. “For her to be at that age and still elite, of course, yeah, I want to go check her out.”
James sees parallels between his career and Biles'.
“Simone is super dope,” James said. “And she's an inspiration to my daughter and to all, not only Black girls in the world, but also, kids, anyone, not only just in gymnastics, but any field. If you love greatness – which is another story about the people that don't love greatness or act like they don't, but they just have to be in the hate pool because that's what society is today. But Simone is amazing and she's everything.”
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