It's Official for Bam Adebayo

Miami's Bam Adebayo is set to receive a new accolade: He will be an All-Star starter for the first time.

Adebayo's selection was announced on Saturday as he replaces Philadelphia's Joel Embiid in the Eastern Conference starting lineup for Sunday night's NBA All-Star Game. Embiid, the reigning MVP and two-time scoring champion, is sidelined due to a knee injury.

The decision was made by Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers, who will lead the East team in the All-Star Game.

Adebayo earned a spot on the All-Star team this season as a reserve chosen by coaches, a feat he also achieved in 2020 and 2023. Notably, he won the skills competition at All-Star weekend in 2020. With this selection, Adebayo becomes the seventh player to be an All-Star starter for the Heat and the first since Dwyane Wade in 2016.


In his seventh season with the Heat, Adebayo is posting impressive numbers: 20.2 points, 10.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1 block per game. This marks his debut season as team captain. Notably, no Heat player has achieved such averages for an entire season before. Additionally, only two other players, Embiid and Milwaukee All-Star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, are maintaining similar statistics across all five categories this season.

Source : ESPN