Miami’s Bam Adebayo Will Start All-Star Game, Replacing Injured Philadelphia Center Joel Embiid

INDIANAPOLIS: A brand new honor is awaiting Miami’s Bam Adebayo: He’ll be an All-Star starter for the primary time.

Adebayo was introduced Saturday because the substitute for Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid within the Eastern Conference beginning lineup for Sunday night time’s NBA All-Star Game. Embiid — the reigning MVP and two-time defending scoring champion — is lacking the sport due to a knee harm.

Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers, who will lead the East crew within the All-Star Game, made the choice.

Adebayo made the All-Star crew this season as a reserve chosen by coaches, simply as he did in 2020 — when he additionally received the talents competitors at All-Star weekend — and 2023. He’ll develop into the seventh participant to be an All-Star starter as a member of the Heat and the primary since Dwyane Wade in 2016.

Shaquille O’Neal, LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Alonzo Mourning and Anthony Mason additionally had been All-Star starters as members of the Heat. Mason was an harm substitute for Grant Hill in 2001; Bosh was an harm substitute for Rajon Rondo in 2013.

Adebayo — a member of the U.S. Olympic crew that received gold on the Tokyo Games in 2021 and somebody anticipated to be a part of the crew that may search a fifth consecutive gold medal on the Paris Olympics this summer time — is a four-time All-Defensive crew member. He has completed no worse than fifth within the defensive participant of the 12 months voting in every of the final 4 seasons.

Adebayo is averaging 20.2 factors, 10.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.1 steals and 1 block per sport this season, his seventh with the Heat and his first as Miami’s captain. No Heat participant has ever completed a season with all these averages and solely two different gamers are averaging a minimum of that a lot in all 5 classes this season — Embiid and Milwaukee All-Star ahead Giannis Antetokounmpo.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

(This story has not been edited by News18 employees and is printed from a syndicated information company feed – Associated Press)