For the first time this decade, Bam Adebayo has been bypassed for All-NBA Defensive team honors.
Adebayo was named to the All-Defense second team in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023 before being named to the NBA’s All-Defense first team, for the first time, last season.
In voting conducted before the end of the regular season, Adebayo finished with the 12th most points, which placed him second in the “also receiving votes” category, behind the Knicks’ OG Anunoby.
Among 100 ballots cast, Adebayo received one vote for the first team and 16 votes for the second team.
The NBA’s All-Defense first team includes Cleveland’s Evan Mobley, Golden State’s Draymond Green, Atlanta’s Dyson Daniels, Oklahoma City’s Lu Dort and Houston’s Amen Thompson.
The NBA’s All-Defense second team features Portland’s Toumani Camara, Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert, Memphis’ Jaren Jackson Jr., OKC’s Jalen Williams and the Clippers’ Ivica Zubac.
Gobert received the 10th most points (65), which made him the last player to make the All-Defense second team. Adebayo, with 18 points, was well behind Gobert.
Adebayo was third in voting for NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 2023-24, the highest finish of his career. This season, he finished tied for 10th for the award, with no first or third place votes and one second place vote. Cleveland’s Mobley won the award for this season.
Adebayo, a three-time NBA All-Star, and Alonzo Mourning (made first team twice with the Heat in 1998-99 and 1999-00) and LeBron James (made first team three times with the Heat in 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13) are the only three players in franchise history to be named to the NBA’s All-Defensive first team while with the Heat.
Adebayo is the only player in franchise history to make one of the league’s All-Defensive teams in five different seasons while with the Heat.
Among all NBA centers that defended at least 500 shots, Adebayo slipped to 26th this season in defensive field-goal percentage allowed at 47.4, compared to the 49% those players shoot overall.
But that metric does not reflect his unique ability, as a 6-9 player, to guard any position.
Adebayo ranked second in the league in defending isolations this season. And he was the anchor of a Heat defense that finished ninth in points allowed per 100 possessions.
The Heat allowed 110.3 points per 100 possessions when Adebayo was on the court, which was second best among Heat rotation players behind only Kel’el Ware’s 108.3. That 110.3 would have tied Houston for fifth best in the league if compared to every team’s defensive rating this season.
Last season, Adebayo’s defensive rating was 109.3.
Adebayo, who turns 28 in July, averaged 18.1 points, 9.6 rebounds and 0.7 blocks this season, his eighth in the league.
Ware was named to the NBA’s All-Rookie second team earlier this week.
This story was originally published May 22, 2025 at 2:15 PM.