Even throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs, the Miami Heat were viewed as underdogs, therefore Bam Adebayo was extremely important in helping the team advance to the NBA finals this season.
One of the biggest upsets in NBA history would occur if Bam and his club defeated a Nikola Joki-led Nuggets squad with three games remaining in their seven-game series. Face2Face Africa presents with you four facts about the Miami Heat Center that you definitely didn’t know as both teams compete for the championship.
His father is Nigerian
His father is a Nigerian from the Yoruba ethnicity, while Adebayo’s mother is African-American. The 25-year-old, who was born in Newark, New Jersey, intended to travel to his late father’s native country for the first time in 2020 to take part in the Basketball Without Borders camp. However, COVID-19 prevented it from happening.
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“I’ve always wanted to go to Nigeria,” he said to The Undefeated. “I’ve always want to see the location. Discover how it is. I might travel there and turn out to be a monarch whom I am not even aware of. I have no idea if I even own the mansion that’s over there. I am eager to visit there, so.
“Because at the end of the day I’m half-Nigerian. But, I don’t want to say that and not know the history of my name, or where my tribe is.”
“Bam” is not his real name
The NBA All-Star player’s official name is Edrice Femi Adebayo, despite the fact that he goes by the moniker “Bam.” When he was a year old, his mother gave him the nickname “Bam” while he was watching The Flintstones. His moniker comes from the cartoon sitcom character Bamm-Bamm Rubble. After he imitated how the cartoon character had tossed a table, his mother is claimed to have referred to him by that moniker.
He initially did not want to embrace his Nigerian roots
John Adebayo, Bam’s father, claimed he never actually spoke to him while he was alive. According to him, his father distanced himself from him after his mother went to North Carolina. He also revealed that his half-brother had informed him of his father’s passing in Nigeria.
He also admitted that his lack of a strong father figure throughout his formative years contributed to his early reluctance to embrace his Nigerian heritage. Adebayo stated, “I feel like my dad isn’t in my life.
He once considered paying for the Nigerian men’s national basketball team
Bam initially pondered representing his father’s native nation because he was first cut from the USA Basketball team the year before, even though he eventually won a gold medal with the team in 2020.
Bam said to The Undefeated that he was still considering going to the Olympics to represent Nigeria. “I’m still thinking about it. Many men gave me a little elbow when we played in the regular season and said, “Man, Nigerian team looks sort of beautiful.
He loves the popular African dish “fufu”
The hero of the Miami Heat adores the traditional African meal fufu. Fufu is a unique dish that is very well-liked in West Africa. It is made of a variety of ingredients, including cassava, cornmeal, green plantains, yams, and/or semolina.