The recent scuffle between former Miami Heat teammates Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo has become the top story of Summer League. Despite never man playing in the Las Vegas games, they met up and exchanged hits after Herro insulted Adebayo weeks ago. The story started when a fan leaked direct messages from Herro taking shots at Bam for being the major reason for the Heat’s struggles over the past few seasons.
Miami insider Barry Jackson shared why Herro and some other players have developed a little resentment towards Adebayo:
“What we can tell you is that there has been some level of resentment from multiple former Heat players that Bam was the chosen one here and was given a big-money contract extension by the Heat and was never subjected to trade rumors.”
Herro obviously makes the most sense here since he has shown some resentment and jealousy by mocking his former teammate to fans. Jimmy Butler was another name mentioned to have similar feelings over Adebayo getting more respect than him in Miami. Pat Riley and various other Heat figureheads view Bam as a Miami lifer and his treatment ultimately rubbed Herro the wrong way to cause the rift.
Another Reporter Called Bam Adebayo “Heat Royalty”
Longtime NBA reporter Marc Stein added more context to this by stating that other players view Adebayo as “Heat royalty” based on how the franchise treats him. Adebayo was the only player not put on the trade block in the recent move for Giannis Antetokounmpo and other big names apart of trade discussions.
Stein revealed the following via a Bleacher Report segment with Jake Fischer:
“He is Heat royalty for Micky Arison, Nick Arison, Pat Riley. He is the modern day Udonis Haslem. They consider him the absolute franchise pillar. I’ve always heard nothing but he’s held in high regards by his teammates… He is the untouchable there. That part is for sure. He is an extension of Pat Riley, Spo, Ownership.”
The owners and the most important Miami basketball decision maker all consider Adebayo to be the one “untouchable” player. Herro getting placed in trade rumors every year and Butler not getting a strong contract offer made both develop some resentment towards Bam.
Bam Adebayo Considered Tyler Herro A Close Friend
One sad aspect of the falling out between these two is that they used to be good friends. An interview within the past few years saw Adebayo naming Herro as the closest friend he had on the roster since they were the longest tenured Heat players.
The success of these two and Butler led to two unlikely NBA Finals appearances before falling short to the much better Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets. Herro and Adebayo are also just two years apart in age to basically grow up together on the same roster.
Unfortunately, things fell apart after Herro both shared a graphic criticizing Bam and made more insulting comments to a fan. Adebayo confronting Herro likely came as someone unhappy after being blindsided from a former friend and turned into something more dangerous once it got violent.
Major Reason Revealed For Tyler Herro’s Hate Of Bam Adebayo