Several months after helping Team USA win gold at the 2024 Olympics, Bam Adebayo is still drawing lessons from the experience.
The Heat center, who contributed to a dominant 6–0 run in Paris, spoke to NBA insider Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson about what it meant to be surrounded by the game’s biggest names on basketball’s grandest stage.
“‘Bron and Steph,” Adebayo said, referring to teammates LeBron James and Stephen Curry. “I’ve been on the Olympics with KD, Jrue [Holiday]… So just being around ‘Bron and Steph.”
Adebayo, 27, had previously won gold in Tokyo in 2021, but the 2024 squad marked the first time he shared the court with both Curry and James at an Olympic level.
According to Adebayo, what stood out most wasn’t their scoring or star power — it was how they managed themselves off the court.
“Longevity,” Adebayo said when asked what he took away from the experience. “How to take care of their bodies… they’re really down to earth people.”
That mindset has already started to influence Adebayo, who averaged 18.1 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 4.3 assists this regular season for a Heat team that finished 10th in the East.
While he posted modest stats in Paris (6.0 points, 3.7 rebounds per game), his role was critical in anchoring a defense that held opponents to just 82.2 points per game across six contests.
Team USA cruised through group play with wins over Serbia, South Sudan, and Puerto Rico, then eliminated Brazil and Serbia again before defeating France 98–87 in the gold medal game.
The 2024 Olympic team featured a collection of NBA stars led by Curry, James, Kevin Durant, and Joel Embiid, with Anthony Edwards emerging as one of the team’s top scorers.
For Adebayo, the lessons in Paris weren’t just about basketball but about building habits for the next phase of his career.
“Being around greatness makes you want to match it,” he added in the interview.
