Wednesday Headlines: Coach Bam Adebayo Edition

Pretty awesome opportunity for Bam.

By John Morgan Francis@MonJorgan Jul 26, 2023, 8:00am EDT

NBA: Finals-Miami Heat at Denver Nuggets

With the Damian Lillard to the Miami Heat trade talks surfacing over the last few weeks, there have been two names on the Heat roster that haven’t been considered. One is Jimmy Butler, who has been left out of talks due to his age and the fact that he’s likely better than Lillard. But the second is Bam Adebayo and it’s actually quite interesting that “talking heads” haven’t tried to insert him in trade talks. Or maybe it isn’t.

Adebayo is just 26 years old, has played in two NBA Finals, made two NBA All-Star teams and four All-NBA Defense second teams. He’s the perfect addition to a guard-heavy Portland team that needs size and a player they can build around for the future.

But Miami of course knows all of this and therefore hasn’t included Adebayo in any real trade talks.

Adebayo’s accolades speak for themselves, but he’s also mature beyond his years. That, combined with his talent and experience, is exactly why the Basketball Without Borders Africa 2023 invited Adebayo to come coach top prospects in South Africa this summer.

It’s right around the corner, too. Basketball Without Borders begins this Friday and runs through next Monday. Adebayo will coach the top-80 prospects from all over Africa and he’ll be joined by fellow NBA players Darius Garland, Jalen Suggs and Jonathan Kuminga.

Current/former NBA head coaches Darvin Ham, Dave Joerger, Dwane Casey, J.B. Bickerstaff and Mike Brown will also participate in coaching this year’s Basketball Without Borders.

To learn more about the event, visit this link to see the full press release.

Tweet of the Day

The next QB domino falls: Chargers and Justin Herbert reached agreement today on a landmark five-year, $262.5 million extension that ties him to the franchise through the 2029 season, sources tell me and @Lindseythiry. Deal gets done before Chargers’ first training-camp practice… pic.twitter.com/m8cYcqANtX
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 25, 2023