Heat’s Bam Adebayo makes more franchise history being Social Justice Champion

As Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo earned NBA All-Defense honors on Friday, it wasn’t the only award that the big man won, as the other deals with his contributions to the community. While the Heat continue to build around Adebayo for the future, the star has been building a foundation that has led to him winning the Social Justice Championship in 2026.

Winning the Kareem-Abdul Jabbar award, the NBA has cited Adebayo for “his efforts to help promote social justice and advancing Abdul-Jabbar’s life mission to engage, empower, and drive equality for communities that have been historically disadvantaged and under-resourced. $100K to be donated to the Bam, Books, and Brotherhood Foundation.”

Adebayo getting the honor is the first time someone on Miami has gotten it, as he spoke about how he does not “expect awards” for those actions.

“Feels good to be the first at something in franchise history. It shows the amount of work I’ve put into the community. I don’t expect awards for it. The award itself was seeing all those people have their lives changed. That’s the award,” Adebayo said, via The Miami Herald.

Heat’s Bam Adebayo reveals who he credits the award to

This past season with the Heat, Adebayo averaged 20.1 points and 10 rebounds per game while shooting 44.2 percent from the field. It was an eventful season for Adebayo, as he scored 83 points on March 20 against the Washington Wizards, which makes him own the second-highest scoring game in history.

Adebayo would credit his mother, Marilyn Blount, and Udonis Haslem.

“To have this honor, obviously, it’s a big deal. I don’t take it for granted. This is an award for a lot of people that can’t speak. I’m happy we all got to share this award together,” Adebayo said on NBA Showtime, via Heat Central.

“It started with my mom. That’s how the foundation started,” Adebayo continued. “UD[Haslem] been a great help for me. Obviously, he’s from Miami, so being able to help this community and be a part of that.”

Bam Adebayo on being named the Social Justice Champion:

“To have this honor, obviously it’s a big deal. I don’t take it for granted. This is an award for a lot of people that can’t speak. I’m happy we all got to share this award together.

It started with my mom. That’s how the… pic.twitter.com/4QlwQRHvgs

— Heat Central (@HeatCulture13) May 23, 2026

Adebayo looks to continue his valiant efforts in the Miami community and also on the basketball court.

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