How did Bam Adebayo get his nickname?

The amusing story behind Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo’s imposing nickname. 

The Miami Heat selected Bam Adebayo with the 14th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. He has since developed into a foundational piece of Miami’s team, making two All-Star teams and four All-Defensive teams.

Adebayo has already been a part of two NBA Finals runs for Miami. He’s one of the best defenders in the sport, capable of switching 1-5 and using his strength to battle bigs or his quickness to stonewall guards.

But, you might be curious about his name. ‘Bam’ wasn’t born with that name. How did Edrice Femi Adebayo come to be called ‘Bam’?

How did Bam Adebayo get his nickname?

You might watch Adebayo play and think his nickname is tied to his basketball prowess. He’s a powerful athlete, capable of spiking dunks through the net or emphatically blocking shots. But that’s not where the name came from. The name has its origins in Adebayo’s childhood, from well before he started playing basketball.

When Adebayo was just one year old, he flipped over his parents’ coffee table in a move reminiscent of the Flintstones’ Bamm-Bamm Rubble. His mother got a chuckle out of it and started to call her son ‘Bam.’ It’s safe to say the name stuck.

Adebayo rose quickly through the high school ranks before joining Kentucky as a five-star recruit. He went one-and-done and was selected by Miami in the lottery. Concerns about Bam’s lack of size in the frontcourt have been dashed; his versatility and physicality makes up for it. He can credibly be called the best defensive center in the NBA.

At 25 years old, Adebayo still has many years of productive basketball left. This season, he averaged 20.4 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 3.4 assists, making massive strides as a face-up scorer and emerging as a legitimate go-to option for Erik Spoelstra’s Heat. Very few players are so dominant on both ends of the floor.

He will continue to live up to the ‘Bam’ moniker, even if it’s in a different way than his mother might’ve envisioned 24 years ago.