Bam Adebayo confronted Tyler Herro... what now?
It only took two days for Summer League in Las Vegas to heat up, and it happened with Bam Adebayo striking his former teammate, Tyler Herro, in the face, first reported by ESPN's Shams Charania. Even with Alonzo Mourning missing every shot he threw on Larry Johnson, it would've been hard to believe that Adebayo is a better puncher than him, but it appears so.
Critical comments that came from an account "Wonderdidit," in a chat room, that were attributed to Herro, it appears were his. One remark inferred that Adebayo being a $60 million-player wasn't a top-tier defender every night.
Adebayo foolishly snapped and it's unclear if the league will want to get involved for disciplinary purposes.
Reading the report felt like seeing Nicki Minaj try to intimidate Miley Cyrus because Herro is as much a threat to anyone as a golden doodle. Naturally, this doesn't make Adebayo hardcore, and he never needed to be because true power is in restraint, especially when there is a considerable size difference of about four inches and close to 60 pounds.
It wasn't right for Herro to talk ill of a teammate, and according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, he and Jimmy Butler, were two who resented that Adebayo "was the chosen one here and was given big $$ extension by the Heat and was never subjected to trade rumors."
Still, that's not enough to warrant hands on him. He wasn't knocked out like Jordan Poole by Draymond Green, but this situation with how it's being reported, doesn't seem too different with how Adebayo went about it. I recall hearing former Heat captain, Udonis Haslem, rhetorically ask on a podcast episode how it would look if he had struck Herro when Green laid out Poole.
Herro's time in Miami wasn't always smooth and much of that had to do with his availability. As our editor, Ethan Skolnick, reported, the Heat's "main frustration they had with him more than any other, is they would believe he was ready to play. He would be cleared..." but he'd be on his own timeline.
This is an unfortunate turn and it may be difficult for two non-combat sport athletes to get past this. Not everyone can be as cool as Steve Kerr forgving Michael Jordan, and there's usually nothing left between people when one punches another, humiliating them.
A lot of history... and interesting futures
Adebayo and Herro played together for seven years - whether they like it or not, their careers will be tied to each other unless one goes on a sweet ride and the other plateaus. It looks like there's a greater chance Adebayo goes on a blaze of glory now that the megastar Giannis Antetokounmpo is in Miami. And the prospect of LeBron James joining.
On top of that, some other former Heatles who were included in the trade for Antetokounmpo-- Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel'el Ware -- are at SL, too. This makes the situation awkward for them and they can't continue public communication with Adebayo out of respect to Herro, their teammate.
The regular season schedule hasn't dropped yet, but the Heat's first game in Milwaukee already carried weight with how emotional it should be for Antetokounmpo's return. Adebayo v. Herro adds bad blood to what should be a one-sided beatdown.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/heat/onsi as Bam Adebayo confronted Tyler Herro... what now?.
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This story was originally published July 11, 2026 at 9:13 AM.