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Bam Adebayo on Jimmy Butler departure: I’m sad to see it go so far, you got him and Pat Riley going at it

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Leading up to the trade, the Heat suspended Butler without pay three times and Butler went public to express his desire to be dealt after the Heat declined to offer him the max contract extension he sought last offseason. Butler also feuded with Heat president Pat Riley and the franchise on the way out, telling Taylor Rooks of Turner Sports this week: “I have nothing to say to Pat. And Pat better have nothing to say to me.” “I’m sad to see it go that far,” Adebayo said, reflecting on Butler’s ugly breakup with the Heat. “Guys are going to make decisions off of whether they want to take care of themselves and I’m all for that. I’ll never be mad at a guy who wants to go get his money. But to me, it ended as a bad sting between the organization and him as a whole. You got him and Pat going at it and stuff like that. I just feel like it ended badly. At this point, we just got to move on.”
Source: Miami Herald

What’s the buzz on Twitter?

Anthony Chiang @Anthony_Chiang
NEW: Through the ups and downs of what has been a turbulent season for the Heat, Bam Adebayo continues to be tested as the captain: “I just really had to look myself in the mirror” miamiherald.com/sports/nba/mia… From the Jimmy Butler saga to the 10-game skid, Adebayo opens up – 12:24 PM
Lauren L. Williams @WilliamsLaurenL
Vit Krejci just stopped a Bam Adebayo dunk attempt. – 9:20 PM
Lauren L. Williams @WilliamsLaurenL
1:56,. 3Q — Heat call timeout after Terance Mann pokes the ball away from Bam Adebayo and finds Caris LeVert for the running layup.
LeVert has 11 points in the quarter and his layup cuts the Hawks deficit to 86-75. – 9:12 PM
Lauren L. Williams @WilliamsLaurenL
Dom Barlow commits a foul on Bam Adebayo and then got hit on the chin HARD. He literally crumpled to the floor. – 8:13 PM
Anthony Chiang @Anthony_Chiang
Heat going with the starting lineup of Tyler Herro, Alec Burks, Andrew Wiggins, Bam Adebayo and Kel’el Ware for the second straight game tonight vs. Hawks. – 7:00 PM
Anthony Chiang @Anthony_Chiang
NEW: Cookie-gate lives on for LeBron James and the Heat, with some more context provided miamiherald.com/sports/nba/mia… Also, Erik Spoelstra shares his Jimmy Butler reflections and more – 12:26 PM
Vivek Jacob @vivekmjacob
Pat Riley taking away LeBron’s cookies because of “Heat Culture” is just so damn funny – 7:29 PM
Sirius XM NBA @SiriusXMNBA
Tune in to NBA Today 🚨 4-7p ET w/ @TermineRadio & @JumpShot8
🦌 Damian Lillard sidelined
😔 Jimmy Butler no shows
🏀 Lebron speaks
🎙 @TomCrean at 5:20p ET
📱 @Rick24Barry at 6:20p
📻 Listen Live: sxm.app.link/nbaradiolive
📱Call the Show: (855-622-5867) pic.x.com/yTfZLTMgrA – 3:58 PM
John Gonzalez @JohnGonzalez
Latest Beyond the Arc pod w/ @sportsreiter
-So much for the Jimmy Butler revenge game
-Plus Dame Lillard injury news
🎧listen/subscribe⤵
link.chtbl.com/beyondthearc
👀💻 YouTube⤵
youtube.com/channel/UCdLr1… – 11:12 AM
Anthony Chiang @Anthony_Chiang
Takeaways and postgame reaction from the Heat’s blowout win over the Warriors in Jimmy Butler’s return miamiherald.com/sports/nba/mia… – 10:20 AM
Jorge Sierra @hoopshype
30.8 percent of Jimmy Butler’s points have come from the free-throw line.
That’s the second-highest mark of any All-Star since the NBA-ABA merger.
Only Moses Malone ahead of him. – 7:25 AM
Nate Duncan @NateDuncanNBA
New Dunc’d On Prime is OUT! Join @DannyLeroux and me as we break down the Rockets victory over the Hawks, Jimmy Butler’s dud return to Miami, the NBA in Europe, and whether it’s realistic for Damian Lillard to return this season. pic.x.com/L9XHdWodAf – 2:53 AM

Anthony Chiang @Anthony_Chiang
Takeaways and postgame reaction from the Heat’s blowout win over the Warriors in Jimmy Butler’s return miamiherald.com/sports/nba/mia… What the Heat and Butler had to say after an emotional night – 12:33 AM
Anthony Slater @anthonyVslater
Steve Kerr on the Jimmy Butler return environment: “Miami is a great place to live. People don’t ever seem too amped up around here. So it really wasn’t that rabid an environment. Typical Miami. The main part of Jimmy’s return is that the Heat were ready.” pic.x.com/BbeWUim60w – 10:19 PM

CBS NBA @CBSSportsNBA
Join @sportsreiter @JohnGonzalez LIVE NOW for our Jimmy Butler falls flat in his return to Miami Postgame Show! 🔥🔥🔥
youtube.com/live/BNdGBJBpB… – 10:04 PM
Anthony Chiang @Anthony_Chiang
Halftime: Heat 57, Warriors 40. Jimmy Butler with two points on 1-of-6 shooting from the field. Heat shooting 8 of 11 (72.7 percent) on threes, which is a winning formula. – 8:41 PM
NBA on ESPN @ESPNNBA
This photo of Bam Adebayo’s dunk on Jimmy Butler 🔥
Imagine seeing this photo in 2024 👀
(via @MiamiHEAT) pic.x.com/F1fCZOokaI – 8:23 PM

Anthony Chiang @Anthony_Chiang
Jimmy Butler just had his shot blocked by Kel’el Ware. He’s 1 of 4 to start. – 8:09 PM
Anthony Chiang @Anthony_Chiang
End of first quarter: Heat 28, Warriors 22.
Bam Adebayo with 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field and 5-of-5 shooting from the foul line while playing the entire first quarter. Jimmy Butler with 2 points on 1-of-3 shooting from the field. – 8:04 PM
Tas Melas @TasMelas
A pre-game tribute video for Jimmy Butler has to be Pat Riley thinking: I don’t want Jimmy getting cheers, and our fans never show up on time, so let’s do it before the game. – 8:00 PM
Anthony Chiang @Anthony_Chiang
Jimmy Butler draws mixed reaction from Heat fans upon intros and tribute video miamiherald.com/sports/nba/mia… With video of the pre-game moment in here – 7:52 PM
Anthony Chiang @Anthony_Chiang
Jimmy Butler getting boos every time he touches the ball. – 7:44 PM
Anthony Chiang @Anthony_Chiang
Some boos and cheers for Jimmy Butler when introduced. Here’s the moment … pic.x.com/igx9PPq7uJ – 7:44 PM

NBA on ESPN @ESPNNBA
Jimmy Butler acknowledged the crowd in his return to Miami 🔥 pic.x.com/JXNkVHHUGf – 7:44 PM

Anthony Chiang @Anthony_Chiang
There were some boos and some cheers for Jimmy Butler when introduced before the game tonight. Bam Adebayo is defending Jimmy Butler to begin the game. – 7:37 PM
Ohm Youngmisuk @NotoriousOHM
The Heat’s video for Jimmy Butler pic.x.com/g3mbdr6nVO – 7:34 PM

Vincent Goodwill @VinceGoodwill
Tribute video for Jimmy Butler from the Heat franchise. Perhaps a bit short but still classy. Mostly cheers from the crowd as he waves to fans – 7:32 PM
Anthony Slater @anthonyVslater
Here is the pregame Jimmy Butler tribute video in Miami and his reaction pic.x.com/HXVCUiscAr – 7:32 PM

Anthony Slater @anthonyVslater
Jimmy Butler and Kevin Love connecting pregame. Longest embrace between Butler and a former teammate so far tonight. pic.x.com/XJwr2oAESZ – 7:26 PM

Barry Jackson @flasportsbuzz
TNT’s Taylor Rooks said he asked Butler what will happen if he sees Pat Riley. Rooks said Butler told her: “I have nothing to say to Pat. And Pat better have nothing to say to me.” (Too late to cancel the tribute video?) – 7:09 PM
Anthony Chiang @Anthony_Chiang
With Duncan Robinson out, Heat going with a starting lineup of Tyler Herro, Alec Burks, Andrew Wiggins, Bam Adebayo and Kel’el Ware.
24th different Heat starting lineup this season. – 7:02 PM
Anthony Slater @anthonyVslater
Warriors starting small (even without Steph Curry) in Miami tonight
Brandin Podziemski
Moses Moody
Jimmy Butler
Gary Payton II
Draymond Green – 7:02 PM
Anthony Slater @anthonyVslater
Steph Curry will not play tonight in Miami for the Jimmy Butler return game. Worked out yesterday and didn’t quite feel ready to return from the pelvic bruise. Warriors have two off-days prior to Friday night game in New Orleans. – 5:58 PM
Anthony Chiang @Anthony_Chiang
Erik Spoelstra peppered with Jimmy Butler questions during his pregame media session: “Is this why the room is so full? Is it because we won one game in a row?” – 5:54 PM
Ira Winderman @IraHeatBeat
Pelted with Jimmy Butler questions, Spoelstra jokes that he thought the interview room was full because the Heat have won one game in a row. – 5:54 PM
NBA on ESPN @ESPNNBA
“It’s beef there and damn it they are going to make hamburgers tonight!”
@KendrickPerkins is looking forward to Jimmy Butler’s return to Miami 👀 pic.x.com/308IYfQFHS – 4:32 PM

NBA on ESPN @ESPNNBA
“[The Warriors] want to put Jimmy [Butler] in a position to win.”
@NotoriousOHM outlines conversations with Jimmy Butler ahead of his highly-anticipated return to Miami 👀 pic.x.com/3fFf4w31Lh – 3:10 PM

Ohm Youngmisuk @NotoriousOHM
Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green are spending hours bonding over dominoes. Jimmy told ESPN in sit down: “I just want to win. I don’t give a f— about nothing else. We ain’t going to never butt no motherf—ing heads.” More on Jimmy as he returns to Miami: espn.com/nba/story/_/id… – 2:36 PM

More on this storyline

Jimmy Butler walked back to the Warriors locker room at the end of Tuesday’s game without exchanging any handshakes or words with his former Heat teammates and coaches. Bam Adebayo and Butler never acknowledged each other that night except for when they were forced to during the flow of the game. “I’m not shocked. It is what it is,” said Adebayo, who is in his eighth NBA season after being drafted by Miami in 2017 and is under contract with the Heat through the 2028-29 season. “It’s a business at the end of the day. And he has a Golden State Warriors jersey on. We have a Heat jersey on. I don’t take it personal. We’re out there to do our job anyways. So if you don’t want to speak, we don’t speak and that’s fine. We’re going to get out here, we’re going to compete, win or lose the game and we move on.” -via Miami Herald / March 28, 2025
Luka, by superstar standards—was there some maintenance involved? Absolutely. But is he the highest-maintenance superstar in the league today? No. And as I said, ask Miami if they would’ve rather dealt with Luka or Jimmy Butler over the first few months of this season. And the thing with these guys having their own body teams or medical squads—or however you want to say it—that’s not unusual. It’s been an issue with Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers. It was an issue with Donovan Mitchell and the Jazz. In this case, it was an issue with Luka and the Mavericks—but that’s also after the Mavericks got rid of the people in the health and performance group that Luka did know, that he did like, that he did respect—most importantly, that he did trust. -via YouTube / March 28, 2025
The Heat’s latest victory came in a 122-112 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday night in Miami to improve to 32-41 this season. “I bring the same positive optimistic energy every day,” Adebayo said of his leadership style, with the Heat now set to embark on a three-game trip that begins Saturday against the Philadelphia 76ers (7:30 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Sun). “It doesn’t matter what we’re going through. “If we’re on a 10-game losing streak or if we’ve won seven straight, you got to keep that same energy because, like I preach to my teammates, you never know what can happen on the other side. You’re thinking about letting go of the rope. And then the one time you’re like, ‘I’m not going to let it go,’ you get a breakthrough.” -via Miami Herald / March 28, 2025
Outwardly, Adebayo remained positive through it all. Internally, Adebayo questioned himself during the skid. “At this point, you got to go through it on your own because nobody can save you, nobody can help you,” Adebayo, 27, said. “For me, it was really just looking in the mirror. Like, how can I be better? What can I change as a captain, as a leader to where we have this breakthrough and we make progressions? Outwardly, Adebayo remained positive through it all. Internally, Adebayo questioned himself during the skid. “At this point, you got to go through it on your own because nobody can save you, nobody can help you,” Adebayo, 27, said. “For me, it was really just looking in the mirror. Like, how can I be better? What can I change as a captain, as a leader to where we have this breakthrough and we make progressions? -via Miami Herald / March 28, 2025