Bam Adebayo got everything he wanted Wednesday night: the first Miami win of the season, the game ball and a record he chased for years.
Adebayo is now his team’s career leader in rebounds, passing Udonis Haslem for that spot in Miami’s 129-117 win over the Atlanta Hawks — the first Heat victory in five tries this season. Haslem had 5,791 rebounds in his 20-season career with the Heat; Adebayo, who grabbed nine on Wednesday, now has 5,794.
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“Man, I can’t really put it into words,” Adebayo said in the televised on-court postgame interview in Atlanta, as a member of the Heat staff secured the game ball to present to him. “The person I’m passing has been so close to me throughout my 10 years in this career, from the time I walked in until now.”
Haslem held the record since November 2012. He was Miami’s longtime captain, a role that Adebayo assumed when Haslem retired. And now, Adebayo — who had an 83-point game last season, the second-biggest scoring effort in NBA history — has taken over for Haslem on another list as well.
“It was a really special moment in the locker room,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said, beaming at Adebayo’s accomplishment. “So well-deserved. He’s done it with an iron will, a work ethic that’s unmatched. That’s a lot of rebounds in traffic, getting hit, banged in there. To be able to do it and break the record of his brother, UD, that’s a really special moment.”
Adebayo is No. 2 on Miami’s scoring list behind Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade, No. 3 in assists, No. 3 in steals and No. 5 in blocked shots. Only nine players have grabbed more rebounds since 2017-18, Adebayo’s first season in the NBA after the Heat took him with the No. 14 pick out of Kentucky in the 2017 draft.
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“I came into this league just wanting to make an impact, leave a mark,” Adebayo said. “And to pass some of the people who have been with me on this journey, can’t do anything but thank God but also appreciate the people that have been around me.”
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