MIAMI — Plenty of random items have entered Bam Adebayo’s locker in Kaseya Center over the past seven years, but one has remained constant.
It’s a short doll with Black skin, long white hair and a cigar hanging out the right side of its mouth. For fans of ’80s sports movies, it’s an unforgettable figure.
“It’s a Jobu doll,” former Heat captain Udonis Haslem says. “It’s one of the most important things you’ll find in that locker room.”
Jobu was the voodoo doll from the 1989 comedy “Major League” that Pedro Cerrano prayed to for good luck. Though the movie came out nearly a decade before Adebayo was born, the doll has become one of his most prized possessions.
It was a gift he received from Haslem and Dwyane Wade during his second season as a pro. They workshopped all sorts of nicknames they hoped would stick with their new favorite youngster on the roster. After several failed attempts, they chose Jobu because Adebayo’s serious on-court demeanor mirrored Cerrano’s whenever he stepped up to bat.
And like any nickname, it stuck over the objections of its subject.
“As you can tell, those guys are my friends and my leaders,” Adebayo says jokingly. “But they’re also major a–holes.”
What started as a joke is now a treasured reminder. Every time Adebayo looks into his locker, he sees Haslem, Wade and the franchise responsibility he must carry now that they are no longer in uniform.
Since Pat Riley faxed his resignation from the New York Knicks to take over as team president and head coach in Miami in 1995, the Heat have taken pride in a rugged identity that has survived through the generations. Through ups and downs, and even while employing some of the most glamorous stars in NBA history, the Heat’s core principles of maniacal intensity, unwithering accountability and unrelenting toughness have remained intact.
They persist because, in Miami, the team captain does much more than simply lead his teammates out of the tunnel or speak to media after every game. He is the Heat lifer burdened with upholding the pillars of Heat Culture, the now-iconic mantra sometimes painted on the team’s home court. To outsiders, it is a marketing catchphrase. For insiders who buy in, it’s a way of life.
This responsibility has been passed down from Riley to Alonzo Mourning, then from Mourning to Wade and Haslem. Now, with Wade and Haslem retired, Adebayo has become the new caretaker of Heat Culture and its hallowed traditions.
“We might bring in new players or new coaches, but the standard remains the same. That can never change,” Haslem says. “We demand certain things from our guys, and Bam understands that. The team is in good hands as long as he’s around.”
For Adebayo and the Heat, this season has marked the end of one chapter and the beginning of a new one with its own set of challenges. The torch was officially passed after a fall training camp practice when Haslem surprised Adebayo during an impromptu ceremony in front of the whole team, handing over a Heat No. 13 jersey with the “C” captain patch.
But that brings its own issues to navigate. While the Heat maintain their constant win-now ethos, they also are beginning to acknowledge that a shift into the next phase of the franchise may not be far away. After another inconsistent regular season, and with leading scorer Jimmy Butler injuring his knee in a narrow loss to the No. 7 Philadelphia 76ers Wednesday, the Heat’s path to contention — which will end if they cannot defeat the No. 9 Chicago Bulls Friday — is plenty steep.
The burden of Heat Culture, of maximizing the present while navigating the inevitable discomfort of the future, now rests on Adebayo’s broad shoulders. And the 26-year-old knows all too well that having the right leader in place is a must.
Bam Adebayo, center, leads his Miami Heat teammates. (Issac Baldizon / NBAE via Getty Images)
When Adebayo entered the Heat’s building for a workout on an early summer day before the 2017 NBA Draft, the unthinkable and unacceptable was happening. Mediocrity was starting to settle in as the norm in Miami.
The franchise was struggling to find its footing in the post-Heatles era. LeBron James had gone home to Cleveland in 2014 and Chris Bosh’s career was cut short due to blood clots less than two seasons later. Wade and Riley had a falling out that led to the three-time champion departing for his hometown Chicago Bulls as a free agent in 2016. When Adebayo showed up, Miami was coming off a .500 season that ended outside the playoffs for the second time in three seasons.
Haslem, and just about everyone else within the franchise, tried desperately to reclaim the glory of the early 2010s, but there was no free-agent savior arriving like James had in the summer of 2010.
It was a franchise crossroads that could only be resolved by a new crop of young players who could develop its own portrait of Heat Culture. The issue with that plan is summed up by a phrase those who are steeped in Heat lore mutter when outsiders ask:
It ain’t for everybody.
Against that backdrop, Adebayo’s pre-draft workout showed the Heat all they needed to see.
With Riley, head coach Erik Spoelstra and several other Heat decision-makers in attendance, Adebayo splashed 3s and showed off his defensive versatility. As his competitive juices flowed, Adebayo even talked trash to the coaches and front office executives in the stands. He cursed them out for thinking the supposedly grueling workout would break him mentally.
It was love at first sight. When Adebayo was still available when the No. 14 pick arrived, the Heat pounced.
In those early days, Adebayo spent as much time as possible around Haslem, soaking up his knowledge of the game and life as a pro. He was at Haslem’s house so often that the elder statesman began treating him like a member of his family.
In the middle of Adebayo’s rookie season, the Heat re-acquired Wade via trade so he could spend the final stretch of his career in Miami. Adebayo now had two Heat lifers to learn from daily.
Along with their championship experience, Wade and Haslem were the perfect balance between the two extremes of leadership. Wade was the superstar with ad campaigns, daily highlight reels and countless kids wearing his jersey to every game. Haslem was the undersized, undrafted free agent who had to scrape and claw to earn his spot. Wade taught Adebayo how to handle expectations properly. Haslem showed Adebayo how to hold himself to the same standard he would demand from others.
“They gave me the game from both sides of the coin,” Adebayo says. “It helped me identify with things from a different perspective.”
Mostly, Adebayo saw a little bit of himself in their stories. He was a five-star recruit and is currently a three-time All-Star. Yet he carries a chip on his shoulder as the third big man taken in the 2017 NBA Draft – behind Lauri Markkanen and Zach Collins – before serving as Hassan Whiteside’s backup during his first two seasons as a pro.
“In my eyes, that’s what makes Bam such a great leader. He’s able to relate to other people’s perspectives,” Haslem says. “He knows what it’s like to be at the top and he knows what it’s like to have to prove yourself. ”
Most of Haslem’s discussions with his understudy centered around defensive schemes and how to limit some of the top big men in the league.
But to be this franchise’s unquestioned pillar, Adebayo needed to grow his offensive game. Enter Wade, the franchise’s all-time leading scorer and one of the greatest shooting guards in NBA history. Wade passed along clips of other versatile bigs around the league, such as Dirk Nowitzki, LaMarcus Aldridge and Anthony Davis. He urged Adebayo to study the nuances that made them great. Adebayo soaked it all up.
“Seeing the way he’s worked over the years to add to his game has been incredible. He’s put a lot of thought into everything he’s added to his game,” Spoelstra says. “We can run our entire offense through him on the block or when he’s at the elbow. He’s one of the best passers on the team and he’s not afraid to take the shot in a big moment. He cares deeply about improving his game and you see it in the results of his work.”
By 2019, Adebayo’s growth positioned the Heat to take on their latest free-agent star. While Butler has since made a point of embracing some of Heat Culture’s core principles, he’s always marched to the beat of his own drum. He garners the most outside attention and is the proven big-game performer with plenty of playoff success to back up his brash confidence. But inside the building, the Heat know it’s Adebayo’s consistency and fierce competitiveness that provides the spine of the scrappy squads that have made it to three of the last four Eastern Conference finals.
Still, as Adebayo has learned this season, there’s a big difference between being the captain-in-waiting and actually stepping into Haslem’s shoes.
“It’s not quite the same, but it’s kind of like saying, ‘I’m ready to have a child,” Adebayo says. “That may sound good. But once that day comes, and you’ve never done it before, you’ve got to be ready for whatever comes your way. And usually, it’s something different every day.”
Bam Adebayo smiles with his mentor, Udonis Haslem. “The team is in good hands as long as he’s around,” Haslem says. (Issac Baldizon / NBAE via Getty Images)
Terry Rozier’s introduction to life as a member of the Miami Heat didn’t go exactly as he hoped.
The 30-year-old point guard, acquired from the Charlotte Hornets in January, was escaping what felt like a never-ending cycle of bad losses and untapped potential. The move to the Heat was supposed to make him feel like he was on a winning team again.
At least, that’s what he thought.
His arrival coincided with the Heat’s first seven-game losing streak in 16 years. In his first season as team captain, Adebayo was already facing his greatest test. Even as he worked tirelessly to keep his existing teammates focused on their goals, he could tell Rozier needed more time to get comfortable in his new role. Adebayo’s new teammate needed his attention.
“I wanted to make sure I was locked in with Terry because he’s an important piece for what we want to do,” Adebayo says. “It’s not about him fitting in with us. He’s gotta play like Terry. Everything else will take care of itself.”
Adebayo took the time to get to know his new point guard. He takes pride in learning about his teammates on a personal level, regardless of their backgrounds or age. He learned that Rozier responded to direct communication rather than tiptoeing around his feelings.
So after Rozier passed up a shot early in a game against the LA Clippers on Feb. 4, Adebayo knew exactly what to do. He put his arm around Rozier coming out of a timeout and delivered a direct message.
“He just told me, ‘Shoot the f—ing ball. Stop thinking so much,’” Rozier recalls. “He said, ‘We’re gonna get ours. Just be you.’ Having a message like that come directly from him, of course it’s important.”
The Heat lost that game, but won 11 of their next 13 to recover from their season’s lowest moment. And Rozier, after a difficult start to his Heat tenure, has begun to provide the offensive punch the team envisioned when acquiring him.
This is the form of leadership that comes naturally to Adebayo. He admits he was more of the quiet, observant type for most of his life before coming to Miami. In school, he taught himself by visualizing certain lessons or applying them to some of his real-life experiences. He views his ability to hone in on one-on-one relationships and provide direct guidance as his biggest strength as a leader.
Past keepers of Heat Culture — Riley, Mourning and especially Haslem — were more defined by public displays of fire and brimstone. They inspired as much as they cajoled. The thought of speaking in front of a crowd for extended periods never appealed to Adebayo. To be the captain of the Miami Heat, that had to change.
“Bam is a very thoughtful person and he can put his words together well. He just wasn’t always comfortable doing it in front of the team,” Haslem says. “He had to get over that, though. When you’re the captain, all eyes are on you. They’re waiting to see where you’re at with it so they know which direction to go. If you’re not the one setting the tone, then who’s gonna do it?”
Early in his pro career, Adebayo had no issue standing in the back of the huddle as Haslem riled up the troops. Haslem noticed, too, so he encouraged — sometimes insisted — Adebayo use his voice more often in front of the team. Sometimes, as the rest of the team stood in a huddle and waited for words of inspiration, Haslem would stare at his understudy, arms folded in silence, until Adebayo finally took charge and said what was on his mind.
Many of those moments felt unnatural for Adebayo, but he got the point. The only way he could learn to speak publicly was to step out of his comfort zone and actually do it.
“UD had charisma. He wasn’t a bland captain,” Adebayo says. “You could feel the emotion behind what he was saying. He had that attitude that everybody needed when it was time to get into go-mode.”
Adebayo threw himself into the task. He took mental notes every time Haslem spoke. He watched how Spoelstra addressed the team. He watched Deion Sanders and Kobe Bryant speeches on YouTube to see how they conveyed their message. He wanted to take a piece of each of them and apply it to his style.
It’s been a work in progress, but there have been breakthrough moments. One occurred in early January, when Miami was wrapping up an unsuccessful West Coast trip with a game in Phoenix.
With the game slipping away in the second half, Adebayo stopped holding back. It was the moment of desperation that called for an emotional response.
During a timeout, he called on the group to play with more pride. He challenged his teammates to remember the greater goal they were chasing and the commitment it takes to reach that level. In that moment, he sounded exactly like his mentor.
“He just stepped into the huddle and let us have it. That was my first time seeing him like that,” rookie forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. says. “You just see how bad he wants it. You see how much he cares about winning.”
Even after the speech, the Heat lost to Phoenix, 113-97. But in that moment, Adebayo was doing exactly what a Heat captain needs to do. He was putting words behind his actions. Words that would actually resonate with his teammates. Words they knew came from the heart.
He was showing what it takes to be the keeper of the Heat Culture flame.
(Illustration by Sean Reilly / The Athletic. Photos: Issac Baldizon / NBAE via Getty Images)