During his tenure with the Milwaukee Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo has spent years dealing with Bam Adebayo as an opponent. Now, with the Miami Heat, the Greek Freak will finally be on the same side.
Antetokounmpo recently spoke about his new teammate and admitted he is glad he no longer has to face Adebayo on the court.
“Playing against Bam, it was hard. I'm happy I don't have to deal with that anymore,” Antetokounmpo said.
"Playing against Bam, it was hard. I'm happy I don't have to deal with that anymore, and other players have to."
Giannis Antetokounmpo is relieved that Bam Adebayo is no longer his matchup 😅
(via @espn)pic.twitter.com/rHOC1l8JuC
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 3, 2026
Coming this NBA season, Antetokounmpo will be adjusting to his new surroundings after spending the first 13 years of his NBA career with the Bucks. He joined Miami this offseason and will now team up with Adebayo as the Heat prepare for the 2026-27 season.
Antetokounmpo also praised Adebayo’s approach as a leader and teammate.
Article Continues Below“He's a great leader, vocal, but, most importantly, he's going to lead by example,” Antetokounmpo said. “He's never going to have us do something that he's not going to do himself.”
The pairing is set to give Miami two elite athletes who can impact the game in different ways. Adebayo can create from the frontcourt, while Antetokounmpo remains one of the league’s most dangerous players attacking the basket and in transition.
There will still be an adjustment period. Antetokounmpo acknowledged that Miami’s spacing and player movement are different from what he experienced in Milwaukee.
He described a training camp possession in which he threw a pass expecting a teammate to be in one spot, only for the player to move elsewhere.
Miami will spend the preseason working through those details. For Antetokounmpo, though, at least he no longer has to figure out how to get past Adebayo.