The Miami Heat’s Bam Adebayo came in third place in the Defensive Player of the Year vote this past season. After placing fifth the previous season and fourth in 2021 and 2022, this was his highest finish to date.
The three-time All-Star is sick of being disregarded at this point.
Adebayo recently discussed his brutally honest feelings about missing out on winning defensive player of the year multiple times in an interview. The 26-year-old is certain that other players don’t hold themselves to the same standards that apply to him:
According to Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports, Adebayo stated, “That’s one thing that irks me, it’s not my fault I’m versatile.” “Over the past five years, I’ve placed in the top five for DPOY; nevertheless, some people have received more votes than me from the media.
“.. I’ve been outclassed by a power forward (Jaren Jackson Jr.), a point guard (Marcus Smart), and a center (Rudy Gobert). For me, the objectives shift to a certain extent. We still have a top-five defense with me and several other undrafted players.
“All-NBA guys are around these other guys.” They don’t really care about us, which is okay in part of the situation. The goalposts move in my favor because, as the top-five DPOY, I believe I have the longest streak of All-Defensive teams, thus I believe they should focus on consistency.
It would be an understatement to say that Adebayo is still resentful of his most recent DPOY rejection from this past season.
Adebayo, though, is now forced to repeat the entire process in the upcoming season. He has essentially done all in his power to surpass the other defenders in the league as a standout, but his efforts have consistently gone unnoticed.
Will Adebayo’s year finally come in 2025?
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