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Will Bam Adebayo be suspended for punching Tyler Herro?

It's not often two non-teammates get into a physical altercation off the court. When they do, the NBA tends to levy a suspension.
ByAlicia de Artola|
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Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo
Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo | Michael Reaves/GettyImages

Key Points

Bullet point summary by AI

  • A physical confrontation between two former teammates has spilled into the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.
  • The incident appears rooted in online criticism and salary disputes that followed a recent blockbuster trade.
  • The league is expected to review the case this week, with the player’s clean record possibly influencing the severity of any discipline.

NBA Summer League has brought us some unexpected drama involving former Miami Heat teammates Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro. And by drama, I mean one punching the other in the face.

According to ESPN's Shams Charania, Adebayo approached Herro at a practice court in Las Vegas and confronted him about recent comments he made on social media. The encounter escalated when "Adebayo struck Herro in the head."

Why are Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro beefing?

The beef appears to have started after Herro was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks as part of the deal that brought Giannis Antetokounmpo to Miami. Herro allegedly engaged with a fan in DMs, bringing up Adebayo's salary and questioning his value.

"It's a mf making 60 million but they worried about me and what I do," Herro said, pointing to Heat fans getting on his case compared to Adebayo.

Herro also argued that he was more of a priority for opposing defenses:

"If I'm healthy I'm the one who needs help. Who did Cleveland prioritize taking away in the playoffs? Who did Boston prioritize taking away when Jimmy got hurt and we was the 8 seed? When I'm healthy I need help Not the other guy."

But the most provocative statement had to do with whether or not Adebayo is worth the $160 million extension he signed in 2024.

"I'm just saying should an elite defender be making 60 million a year? Answer that. If the shoe fits. It fits," Herro wrote.

For the record, Adebayo's current deal has an average salary of $53.4 million and runs through 2028-29.

Will Bam Adebayo be suspended by the NBA?

It seems likely, though the length of that suspension probably isn't going to be significant.

The closest example to the Adebayo-Herro incident might be Isaiah Stewart and Drew Eubanks in February of 2024. The two got into it as they were coming into the arena ahead of a game between Stewart's Pistons and Eubanks' Suns. Stewart punched Eubanks and was arrested by Phoenix police. Ultimately, the NBA suspended him for three games.

It should be noted that Stewart had a history of questionable conduct. He had been ejected from games multiple times before the Eubanks confrontation, including an altercation with LeBron James in 2021 that resulted in a two-game suspension.

Adebayo has no prior suspensions and has only been ejected from a game once in his career. That was for picking up two technical fouls in the final minutes of a game against the Celtics in 2022.

If Adebayo had a history of misconduct, the NBA might be more inclined to come down hard on him for this incident. As it is, he's likely to get no more than the three games Stewart got for throwing an off-court punch. I would guess he'll get one or two games.

The fact that this incident took place so early in the offseason does differentiate it from other comparable instances. That could also have an impact on the level of punishment for Adebayo.

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