Heat’s Bam Adebayo named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for second time in career

Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo just turned in one of the best weeks of his NBA career and it didn’t go unnoticed.

Adebayo was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week on Monday for games played from Jan. 8-14. Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen was named the Western Conference Player of the Week.

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It’s the second time Adebayo has earned the honor in his career, with the first coming in December 2019. Adebayo is also the first Heat player to be named the East Player of the Week since Jimmy Butler received the award in October 2021.

In total, 16 different Heat players have been named the East Player of the Week in franchise history: Rony Seikaly, Glen Rice, Chris Gatling, Tim Hardaway, Alonzo Mourning, Eddie Jones, Dwyane Wade, Lamar Odom, Shaquille O’Neal, LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Dion Waiters, Hassan Whiteside, Goran Dragic, Butler and Adebayo.

Seikaly, Mourning, Wade, James, Bosh, Dragic, Butler and Adebayo are the only ones who have earned the honor multiple times while with the Heat.

To get the award, Adebayo averaged 23 points, 11 rebounds, 5.8 assists and one block per game while shooting 56.5 percent from the field in four games last week with different starters in and out of the lineup because of the team’s injury issues. The Heat went 3-1 during this stretch, with all the games played at home.

The highlight of Adebayo’s week was hitting a game-winning jumper with 18.8 seconds to play to lift the Heat to a 99-96 victory over the Orlando Magic on Friday.

Adebayo, 26, entered Monday night’s matchup against the Nets in Brooklyn averaging career-highs in points (22.1 per game), rebounds (10.4) and minutes (34.6) this season. He’s also averaging 4.2 assists, one steal and one block per game in his seventh NBA season. Adebayo is one of only five players around the NBA who entered Saturday averaging at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and four assists per game this season along with Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid, Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, Denver’s Nikola Jokic and Sacramento’s Domantas Sabonis.

Along with Adebayo’s Player of the Week award, Heat rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. has also been honored recently. Jaquez has earned the first two Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month awards this season.