Heat’s Bam Adebayo reacts to third NBA All-Star selection and ‘respect’ shown by coaches

Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo may not have been voted into this season’s NBA All-Star Game as a starter, but he takes pride in being selected as a reserve.

That’s because the head coaches select the seven All-Star reserves from each conference, which were revealed Thursday night on TNT.

“High level of respect, obviously, just because the coaches pick you,” Adebayo said ahead of Friday night’s matchup against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena. “It’s not the usual, you let the fans pick most of them. But the coaches pick you. Having coaches who scheme against you, obviously, and have to coach against you, there’s just a respect value there and I really appreciate that.”

Along with Adebayo, Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics, Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks, Julius Randle of the Knicks, Tyrese Maxey of the Philadelphia 76ers and Paolo Banchero of the Orlando Magic were named as Eastern Conference All-Star reserves for the Feb. 18 showcase game that will take place at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

It marks the second straight season Adebayo has been named an All-Star and the third time he has been selected as an All-Star in his seven NBA seasons, with his first All-Star selection coming in the 2019-20 season. He has been voted in by the head coaches as an All-Star reserve every time.

Adebayo, 26, joins Alonzo Mourning, Shaquille O’Neal, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh as the only players in franchise history who have been voted into the All-Star Game three or more times as members of the Heat.

“First off, I was grateful to my teammates,” Adebayo said of again being named an All-Star. “They sacrifice a lot for me to have this success and obviously we don’t have this achievement without all of us, staff included.”

Adebayo is the lone Heat player selected for this season’s All-Star Game. Jimmy Butler, the Heat’s other top All-Star candidate this season, did not make the cut unless he’s later chosen to be in the showcase game as an injury replacement.

One of the major factors working against the Heat’s chances of being represented by multiple players in the All-Star Game? The Heat entered Friday in seventh place in the East standings at 25-23 after snapping a seven-game losing streak with Wednesday night’s home win against the Sacramento Kings.

“The season, so far to date, has not necessarily gone exactly how we want it to,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said following the team’s Friday morning shootaround at George Washington University. “And we’re not just trying to drive individual awards. If we had a better first half of the season the way we felt we were capable of, I think more people would be acknowledged. With that being said, it is nice to see [Adebayo] acknowledged for that. He just continues to improve and show his impact on the game.”

Adebayo entered Friday averaging career highs in points (20.6 per game), rebounds (10.6 per game) and minutes (34.8 per game) while anchoring the Heat’s defense this season. He’s also averaging 4.2 assists, one steal and one block per game, but his shooting percentage has dropped from 54 percent last regular season to 50.1 percent this season.

Adebayo, who has missed 10 games this season, is one of only four players in the NBA who entered Friday averaging at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and four assists per game this season. The other players on that list were chosen as All-Star Game starters —Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid and Denver’s Nikola Jokic.

Adebayo also ranks first on the Heat in advanced metrics like defensive win shares and defensive estimated plus/minus.

“It just shows you that he’s recognized by the coaches and people that he competes against,” Spoelstra added regarding Adebayo’s third All-Star selection by head coaches. “I think that’s the best compliment.”

And there’s a chance Adebayo could still end up starting the All-Star Game, with Embiid’s status uncertain after sustaining a left knee injury earlier this week. Embiid was voted in as an East frontcourt All-Star starter.

Randle, who is among the East’s frontcourt All-Star reserves, is also dealing with an injury that could keep him out of the All-Star Game. Randle dislocated his right shoulder during last week’s win against the Heat.

With the All-Star Game returning to the traditional East vs. Western Conference format this season, Adebayo will be among the frontcourt options to start in Embiid’s place if Embiid can’t play. Adebayo said it would be a “dope experience” to start the All-Star Game.

Adebayo said his mother, Marilyn Blount, was nervous leading up to Thursday’s reveal of this season’s All-Star reserves. She wanted him to be picked as an All-Star again.

“Anything that has to do with a surprise or something like that, I can’t explain how nervous she gets because I’m her son.” Adebayo said. “But we have this thing when we’re really nervous, our hands sweat. So she was probably gripping a towel.”

But Adebayo wasn’t as nervous. He took the news in stride.

“I kind of let the chips fall where they may and you go from there,” Adebayo said with a smile.