Bam Adebayo expected to make 12-man Olympic roster despite $213 million star's commitment to Team USA
Bam Adebayo is considered to be one of the best big men in the NBA. In the six seasons that he has played, Adebayo has averaged 14.7 points per game (55.4% shooting, including 12.9% from 3-point range), 8.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists.
When it comes to representing USA Basketball, Bam Adebayo showed out when he played in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. However, besides Adebayo, Joel Embiid is another NBA big man who can sure enough make an impact for Team USA.
Interestingly, it has just been recently announced that Embiid has committed to playing for USA Basketball after months of speculation on which country he will represent, as per ESPN's Ramona Shelburne. This is due to Embiid having both American and French citizenship.
How does Bam Adebayo factor in all of this? The Associated Press' Tim Reynolds reported that Bam Adebayo is also expected to be in the 12-man Olympic roster spot for next year in Paris.
With the number of elite stars in the NBA, making the 12-man Olympic roster would be challenging in its own right. This is because not every elite player in the league will make the cut of the final Olympic roster.
Be that as it may, Embiid and Adebayo are two of the best NBA big men in the league, making it a must to have both of them on the Olympic roster.
When it comes to other commitments, Joel Embiid is currently signed to a four-year, $213,280,928 contract with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Additionally, the contract also has an annual average salary of $53,320,232. Embiid is also coming off his MVP season, when he averaged 33.1 points per game (54.8% shooting, including 33.0% from 3-point range), 10.2 rebounds, and 4.2 assists.
Bam Adebayo's grudge on San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich
In the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Bam Adebayo was phenomenal on the international stage. During the competition, the Heat star put up 6.3 ppg (57.1% shooting), 5.7 rpg, and 1.2 bpg.
However, before he was able to play for USA Basketball, he didn't make the team back in the 2019 World Cup.
"Definitely animosity," Adebayo said, "because I felt like I should have been on that team. But when we got to the Olympics I had to let my animosity go because he was my coach at the time."
"But when we left, I let him know from the time being in this Olympics we cool and you my coach," Adebayo added, "I'm your player ... but when we leave, just know, I'll never forget that you cut me."
Making the finalized roster of USA Basketball is no slouch, as it demands the best from its players who are hoping to make the team.
During the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Final game against France, Adebayo dropped 6 points (3-of-4 shooting), 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 blocks.
Additionally, he had a double-digit scoring outing in Team USA's group phase matchup against France. In that game, Adebayo put up 12 points (5-of-8 shooting), 10 rebounds, and 2 assists.
Throughout the six games that Adebayo performed in the 2020 Olympics, he had over 38 points in total, along with 34 rebounds, 11 assists, and 7 blocks. One thing's for certain: Adebayo proved his value when it comes to playing international basketball.