AS BAM ADEBAYO entered the Chicago hotel lobby from the team bus, he had a conversation with himself about mind over matter. It was just after noon on gameday and a frigid opponent was waiting upstairs.
"I'm trying to get my heart rate up," the Miami Heat All-Star center told ESPN, nervously eyeing the elevator. "So when I do get there, it's not as much of a shocker."
In June 2023, Adebayo left the floor at the end of Game 5 of the NBA Finals in Denver as blue, yellow, white and red confetti rained down on him and his defeated teammates.