Bam Adebayo, right, earned NBA all-defensive honors for the fourth time. (Miami Heat Photo)
John Calipari has put a lot of players in the NBA who have had or are still having terrific careers.
One of those is Bam Adebayo, who came to Kentucky from North Carolina dreaming of being a NBA player so he could provide a better life for his mother who always worked several jobs to take care of him.
He’s certainly done that playing for the Miami Heat and Tuesday for the fourth straight year was named to the NBA’s All-Defensive Second Team in voting by 100 sportswriters and broadcasters. Adebayo got 13 first-team votes and 27 second team selections.
Adebayo leads the Heat in blocks, offensive rebounds, defensive rebounds and total rebounds. He is second in total steals. He is averaging 17.6 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.0 steals per game during the playoffs.
The former UK star has led the Heat in rebounding a team-best 46 times and in blocks in 34 games.
This is Adebayo’s sixth NBA season and he was named to the all-star team for the second time. He averaged 20.4 points, 9.2 boards and 3.2 assists per game during the season and helped the Miami defense rank in the top three in opponent offensive rebounds, points per game yielded, charges taken and opponent field goals made.
He finished fifth in the NBA Defensive Player of the Year voting.
Miami has a 3-1 playoff series lead over the New York Knicks and a win Wednesday night in New York would send the Heat to a third appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals in the last four seasons.
* * *
Adebayo averaged 13 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game in his one season at UK when he started all 38 games for the Elite Eight team before being picked 14th overall by the Heat in 2017.
