Bam Adebayo believes the Miami Heat’s blockbuster addition of Giannis Antetokounmpo gives the franchise the opportunity to chase the championship that has remained out of reach during his career.
Adebayo, who has reached two NBA Finals with Miami in 2020 and 2023 but has not won a title, said the arrival of the two-time MVP has created a renewed sense of excitement around the organization.
“You look forward to it,” Adebayo said, according to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. “You look forward to the excitement around the season. I feel like Pat [Riley] has been trying to get somebody at that star level for a while now. So being able to have that shift and that change, we’re looking for growth. We’re looking to obviously win games and have some growth.”
Miami acquired Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis from the Milwaukee Bucks in a franchise-changing trade on July 6, sending out Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel’el Ware, Kasparas Jakucionis and future draft assets. The move transformed the Heat from a team that finished 43-39 and reached the Play-In Tournament into a contender built around two elite two-way forwards.
Adebayo averaged 20.1 points, 10.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 73 games during the 2025-26 season while earning All-Defensive Second Team honors. He also posted career-high volume from three-point range, attempting 5.5 threes per game, although he shot 31.8% from deep.
Antetokounmpo joins Miami after another dominant season with Milwaukee, continuing a career that includes two MVP awards and a 2021 NBA championship. The Heat are hoping his interior scoring, transition dominance and defensive versatility can complement Adebayo’s ability to guard multiple positions and anchor a defense.
The two stars have already started building chemistry, working out together in Las Vegas during July. Adebayo said their early conversations have centered on the same objective.
“We’re ready to get to work,” Adebayo said. “The goal is to win a championship. That’s his mindset. We have a like mindset when it comes to that. So those conversations were really about winning.”
Both players are represented by agent Alex Saratsis, which helped create an existing relationship before Antetokounmpo arrived in Miami. Adebayo believes their shared approach will make the transition easier as the Heat begin building around their new frontcourt pairing.
“There’s an excitement around this season,” Adebayo said. “Going into this season, we want to have excitement. We want to have something to look forward to. We feel like we have a chance, and we’re going to go for it.”
The biggest questions surrounding Miami’s new roster involve spacing and playmaking around Antetokounmpo and Adebayo. The Heat lost several offensive contributors in the trade, including Herro, who averaged 20.5 points and 4.1 assists in 33 games last season, and Jaquez, who averaged 15.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists.
Miami attempted to address shooting needs by signing Tim Hardaway Jr. to a one-year contract after he averaged 13.5 points and shot 40.7% from three-point range with Denver last season. Andrew Wiggins also returns after averaging 15.4 points while shooting 41.4% from three.
Adebayo is confident the Heat can solve those challenges internally.
“We’ll figure it out,” Adebayo said. “We don’t really worry about the outside noise too much. We’ve done a lot more with less in our past years before. So we’ll figure it out.”
