Bam Adebayo has emerged as one of the best big men in the NBA since being selected 14th overall by the Heat in the 2017 NBA Draft.
Adebayo has been named to one of the NBA All-Defensive teams five times during his seven-year career and has been an All-Star in three of the last four seasons. He has been an excellent No. 2 option alongside Jimmy Butler and averaged 19.3 points, 10.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.1 steals per game for the Heat last season.
Miami decided to generously reward the soon-to-be 27-year-old player for his performance. The Heat are making Adebayo one of the highest-paid players in the NBA by signing the All-Defensive talent to a max contract.
Here’s what you need to know about Adebayo’s deal with the Heat.
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Bam Adebayo’s contract details
The Heat are set to sign Adebayo to a three-year extension worth $166 million, Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Adebayo’s annual salary as part of that deal will be approximately $55.3 million, making him the fifth-highest-paid NBA player in average annual value (AAV). Below is who is ahead of Adebayo on that list, according to Spotrac.com.
| Range | Player | Equipment | GOING TO |
| 1 | Anthony Davis | Lakers | 59 million dollars |
| 2 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | Dollars | $58.6 million |
| 3 | Jaylen Brown | Celts | $57.2 million |
| 4 | Damien Lillard | Dollars | $56.5 million |
| 5 | Bam Adebayo | Heat | $55.3 million |
While other notable young stars like Jayson Tatum could soon surpass Adebayo, the Heat star should still rank among the league’s highest-paid centers over the duration of his contract, which runs through the 2028-29 NBA season.
That timeline will allow Adebayo to become a free agent again before his age-32 season, which will position him well to land another high-level contract before his prime passes.
Bam Adebayo Statistics
Adebayo has averaged a double-double in three of his seven NBA seasons to date. Since he became a full-time starter in 2019, Adebayo has averaged at least 15.9 points per game each season and no fewer than nine rebounds per game.
Adebayo’s career-high for assists per game came during the 2020-21 season, when he recorded 5.4 per game. He hasn’t been as big of a player in recent seasons, with Tyler Herro and Jimmy Butler taking on bigger roles in that department for the Heat.
Below is a look at Adebayo’s season-by-season stats and his career averages.
| Season | Games | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Aid | steal | Blocks | GF% | 3P% |
| 2017-18 | 69 | 19.8 | 6.8 | 5.5 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 51.2 | 0.0 |
| 2018-19 | 82 | 23.3 | 8.9 | 7.3 | 2.2 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 57.6 | 20.0 |
| 2019-20 | 72 | 33.6 | 15.9 | 10.2 | 5.1 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 55.7 | 14.3 |
| 2020-21 | 64 | 33.5 | 18.7 | 9.0 | 5.4 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 57.0 | 25.0 |
| 2021-22 | 56 | 32.6 | 19.1 | 10.1 | 3.4 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 55.7 | 0.0 |
| 2022-23 | 75 | 34.6 | 20.4 | 9.2 | 3.2 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 54.0 | 8.3 |
| 2023-24 | 71 | 34.0 | 19.3 | 10.4 | 3.9 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 52.1 | 35.7 |
| Total | 489 | 30.0 | 15.4 | 8.7 | 3.5 | 1.0 | 0.9 | 54.7 | 22.1 |