One thing that is certain in life is change, especially when it comes to our dreams, nothing is too big. This is the case with NBA player Bam Adebayo who came from a modest family and in spite of the fact that he is described as a late bloomer in the game of basketball, the young man has shown that he is a prized asset in his short period of playing. Adebayo played only a year of college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats then announced he was going for the NBA 2017 draft and as fate may have it, he was the 14th overall pick by the Maimi Heat.
Get all the details of this young player’s bio, career, and other interesting facts as you read on.
Bam Adebayo’s Biography
Bam Adebayo whose birth name is Edrice Femi Adebayo was born in Newark, New Jersey, on July 18th, 1997 but he grew up in Pinetown, North Carolina. His name “Bam” is a nickname that was given to him by his mother Marilyn Blount at age 1 after he turned over a table like how the character Bamm-Bamm Rubble from the show The Flintstones would do. Bam Adebayo’s mum Marilyn is said to have worked very hard as a cashier in order to provide for her son although the name of his father is said to be Josh Adebayo, he did not play an active role in raising Adebayo. Adebayo’s high school education was done at North Side High School, Nort Carolina.
As Adebayo grew up so fast for his age, it was no surprise that the 13-year-old who was a 6 ft 6 inches tall teenager would make a fine NBA player, hence, he started playing basketball in 2010. His high school records show that he made average points of 32.2 alongside 18 rebounds in his junior year while as a senior at the High Point Christian Academy, he recorded 18.9 points and 13 rebounds. Bam Adebayo is said to have led his high school during his senior year to the NCISAA state championship and in 2016, he landed the title of North Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year, the USA Today named him a Second Team All-American and he emerged as the Morgan Wootten Player of the Year Award finalist.
Career Stats
Adebayo got enrolled in the University of Kentucky on November 17, 2015, where he played impressively for the Kentucky Wildcats for a season. His debut for the team was on December 7, 2016, in which Adebayo scored 16 points and made 7 rebounds in a winning match against the Valparaiso Crusaders. The skilled player improved on his scores the next year on February 21, 2017, when he recorded 22 points and 15 rebounds in his team’s 72 -62 victory match against the Missouri Tigers. In the next month, Bam Adebayo made 9 rebounds in the match with the Arkansas team that made the Wildcats emerge as winners of the SEC Championship. His excellent performance continued in subsequent matches and he is said to have played in 38 matches for Kentucky in which he recorded an average score of 13 points, 8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in a game.
Adebayo announced he was entering the 2017 NBA draft on April 5th, 2017 and by June 22nd, 2017, he was chosen with the 14th overall pick in the draft by the Miami Heat. His contract was finalized and signed on 1st July 2017 and he was with the NBA Summer League that year. Also, in June 2018, Bam Adebayo would once again play in the NBA Summer League.
Other Interesting Facts
Some other interesting facts to know about this talented player include:
He is not just a lover of basketball but also loves football and he is a huge fan of the New York Giants.
Adebayo also loves music and he is said to adore the singer Katy Perry.
His shoe size is said to be size 16.
He credits his mum for his career success and shares a very close bond with her.
Adebayo is not the only athlete in his family as he has cousins named Bruce Peartree who played basketball at East Carolina University and Avery Oden who played at Shaw University.
Bam Adebayo has been compared to players like Markieff Morris and Tristan Thompson. Speculations are also rife that he would turn out to like Bismack Biyombo and Montrezl Harrel in the NBA.
