Miami Heat Star Bam Adebayo Blatantly Calls Out NBA Over Defensive Player of the Year Snub

This past season, Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo finished third in the Defensive Player of the Year voting, marking his best finish to date after placing fifth the previous season and fourth in 2021 and 2022.

The three-time All-Star is now frustrated with being consistently overlooked.

Miami Heat News: Bam Adebayo Frustrated About DPOY Snub

In a recent interview, Adebayo expressed his candid thoughts on repeatedly missing out on the Defensive Player of the Year title. The 26-year-old firmly believes that other players are not held to the same standards he is:

“That’s one thing that irks me, it’s not my fault I’m versatile,” Adebayo said, via Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports. “I’ve been top five in DPOY voting the last five years, there’s been guys y’all (media) been giving it to over me.

“… A point guard (Marcus Smart) got it over me, a center (Rudy Gobert) got it over me, a power forward (Jaren Jackson Jr.) has gotten it over me. The goalposts move for me, in certain degrees. It’s me and a lot of undrafted dudes, and we still have a top-five defense.

“These other guys have All-NBA dudes (around them). Some of it is, they don’t really care about us and that’s fine. I think they should pay attention to consistency because being top five DPOY, I think I have the longest streak of All-Defensive teams, so the goalposts move for me.”

Adebayo’s frustration with his most recent DPOY snub this past season is palpable.

However, Adebayo has no choice but to prove himself again this coming season. He has consistently demonstrated his prowess as one of the best defenders in the league, but his efforts have often been overlooked.

Will 2025 finally be Adebayo’s year?