As Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo gets motivated for the upcoming season, he will also head into his second year as captain of the team after the retirement of Udonis Haslem. With the Heat coming into a much more loaded Eastern Conference, Adebayo will need to lead the team more than ever, but he’s candid in how hard of a job it truly can be.

Adebayo commented before last season on being captain where he gave a blunt answer on how difficult it can be and doubled down Monday during the team’s media day. The Heat star would tell ClutchPoints that his perspective on being captain has not changed and it was Haslem’s idea.

“No it hasn’t,” Adebayo said. “It doesn’t get any easier. You know, you got new guys coming in, and you have to explain to them what we’re about, how we’re about, how we move, and just really, it’s not about yourself. You know, every year I come back, and more and more, you start to realize that you’re doing this for something bigger than yourself. Like I said, I didn’t choose to be captain. It was kinda…UD (Udonis Haslem) forced me in this role. But, you know, you understand that when you get into that role and get into that high seat, it’s not about you at the end of the day.”

Whether he likes it or not, Adebayo is trusted on to be the leader of the Heat from the coaching staff and players alike as he’s looked on to be one of, if not the foundation of the team. Especially how he’s coming off an offseason where the Heat center received a sizable contract extension and an Olympic gold medal from this past summer in Paris, France.

Asked Bam Adebayo about going into his second year as captain and if he has a different perspective on it: “It doesn’t get easier…you don’t choose to be captain…UD (Haslem) forced me into this role…it’s not about yourself…” #HeatCulture

Heat’s Erik Spoelstra speaks on time with Bam Adebayo during Olympics

United States centre Bam Adebayo (13) celebrates after defeating France in the men's basketball gold medal game during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Accor Arena.
Rob Schumacher-Imagn Images

Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra spoke about Adebayo at length Monday about being the leader of the team, but also about their time with Team USA since he was an assistant coach. He would express how fulfilling of a time it was to see Adebayo further gain the respect of legends of the sport like LeBron James and Stephen Curry.

“He just has to continue to lead us. He’ll grow,” Spoelstra said. “We’ll continue to add more on his plate. You know, the summer was a really fun experience for this old veteran coach, I really treasured that opportunity to be in a team environment with him in a different role. Our relationship has really grown over these years. To be able to step back and be an assistant coach over there, I thought was one of my most memorable moments in this profession, we were able to spend a lot of time in between and have different kind of discussions and different kind of relationship.”