MIAMI — Forward Udonis Haslem was born in Miami, center Bam Adebayo wasn’t. But as the 25-year-old Adebayo prepares for his sixth season with the Miami Heat, he hopes to follow in Haslem’s footsteps as a leading community presence and voice in South Florida.
“I consider it a home away from home just because the community took me in,” Adebayo said of Miami on Saturday during a break at his fourth annual youth basketball clinic at Riviera Preparatory School in Kendall. “The fact that I go to the inner city and the kids have my jersey on. People seeing me out in the community and telling me, ‘Thank you for what you do in our community and what you do in Miami.’ Just stepping in that type of Udonis Haslem role. Even though he’s from here, I feel like the city accepts me like UD.”
Adebayo, who was raised in North Carolina, spent the last few days using his platform to make an impact around Miami. Before hosting a basketball clinic for campers ranging from third to 12th grade on Saturday, Adebayo visited critical care patients at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital on Friday.
