Bam! The Story Behind Heat Draft Pick's Unique Name

Everyone calls him Bam Adebayo. Even his own mom, who originally named him Edrice.

The Miami Heat's 1st Round draft pick out of Kentucky earned the nickname "Bam" as a child.

"It's funny because everybody thinks I got that name from dunking," Adebayo explained. "But it was actually way earlier. When I was younger, me and my mom were watching the Flintstones and I guess I flipped over a coffee table and there it went, 'Bam'."

The nickname stuck with him ever since. In fact, when NBC 6 asked if anyone still calls him by his birth name, Edrice, he paused, and then laughed.

"Nobody really," Adebayo said. "Only my mom when I call her by her first name joking around."

Heat fans at the team's official draft party instantly fell in love with Bam's name, even though they admitted to not knowing much about him as a player.

"Bam, there it is!" shouted one fan.

"I'm not familiar with him from college," said another Heat fan, "but I trust the organization and I love his name!"

When Adebayo scores a basket this upcoming season, you can almost count on Heat announcer Eric Reid to dial up a "Ka-Bam!"

Contact Us