“Felt Like Gang Affiliating”: Bam Adebayo’s Unheard of NBA Bubble Story, 3 Years After Losing Finals vs Lakers

Remember 2020? It was the year when the entire world shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Even during those tough times, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver managed to deliver some of the best basketball we have seen in years. The entire NBA community was confined in a “Bubble” in Orlando’s Disney World. Players and NBA staff were isolated from their families and loved ones for over three months. And two teams who were in the Bubble the longest were the Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers.

3 years after losing the NBA finals against LeBron James and Co., Miami Heat superstar Bam Adebayo revealed an unheard story about life in the NBA Bubble.

Bam Adebayo reminisces about the NBA Bubble

Bam Adebayo was a guest on The OGs podcast hosted by former Miami Heat players Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller. During the episode, he talked about life during their NBA finals run inside the Bubble in 2020. “It felt like you was gang affiliated when you was in the bubble.” said Adebayo. The Miami Heat Forward revealed that all the players stayed in their own groups inside the bubble, wearing their team colors. There was no interaction between players from different teams and they were always mad at each other.

The players and the NBA had never been in or managed such circumstances where players from different teams had to stay in the same vicinity for over three months. They had to do that while maintaining a competitive spirit and focusing on their goal of winning a Championship.

Even though the circumstances inside the Bubble were difficult, Bam Adebayo and Co. beat all odds and managed to survive longer than most teams.

Read More: “This is Not Enough”: Unimpressed by Bam Adebayo’s Career High Season, Ex-Champ Demands “More” From Heat Star

The Miami Heat were very close to making history

Despite finishing as the 5th seed in the Eastern Conference, the Miami Heat made it to the NBA Finals in 2020. The final challenge that stood in front of Jimmy Butler and Co. was LeBron James. Miami took the Los Angeles Lakers to six games, but could not finish the job. They eventually lost the series 4-2, and LeBron James won his 4th Championship. Bam Adebayo had a mediocre performance in the 2020 Finals, averaging 15.3 points and 6.3 rebounds.

The Miami Heat players would have forgotten about the tough times inside the Bubble had they won the title in 2020. It would have been a historic achievement for Pat Riley’s team and a true testament to the resilience of the Heat Culture. However, former Miami Heat player LeBron James stood in their way, and they fell one step short of making history inside the Bubble.

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