Bam Adebayo named finalist for 2022-23 NBA Sportsmanship Award

Just call him Good Guy Bam.

On Monday, the NBA announced that Miami Heat center and former Kentucky Wildcat, Bam Adebayo, was tabbed as one of the six finalists for the league’s 2022-23 Sportsmanship Award. As the name of the honor implies, this award recognizes the player who best represents the ideals of sportsmanship on the court.

Adebayo is joined by Mike Conley (Minnesota Timberwolves), Harrison Barnes (Sacramento Kings), Darius Garland (Cleveland Cavaliers), Jalen Brunson (New York Knicks), and Boban Marjanovic (Houston Rockets) as the six finalists. If Adebayo were to win, he’d be the first former ‘Cat to take home the award since it began ahead of the 1995-96 season.

The finalists for the 2022-23 NBA Sportsmanship Award.

The annual honor recognizes the player who best represents the ideals of sportsmanship on the court. Current NBA players will select the winner from these six finalists (one finalist from each NBA division). pic.twitter.com/RNVloxlvA4

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) April 3, 2023

It’s no secret among those who follow the NBA (and those who remember him from his time in Lexington) that Adebayo is one of the nicest guys around. While he has a mean streak to his game when he needs it, he also always has a smile on his face. Adebayo was also a finalist for this award last season.

On the court, Adebayo only continues to improve now in his seventh season in the NBA. The 25-year-old was named an All-Star this season for the second time in his career, averaging 20.7 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.2 steals in 35.2 minutes per game. He’s shooting nearly 54 percent from the field and a career-high 80.3 percent from the free throw line. Adebayo is also in contention for the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year Award, currently holding the fourth-best odds to take home the honors, per VegasInsider.

Off the court, Adebayo has been known to embrace community involvement during his time in Miami, starting the Bam, Books, & Brotherhood foundation, which strives to help single mothers in need. The organization also offers scholarships, basketball clinics, back-to-school drives, and much more. This doesn’t exactly have anything to do with his sportsmanship as a basketball player, but it shows just how kind-hearted Adebayo truly is.

Adebayo missed the Heat’s last game due to a hip injury, but he’s excepted back in the lineup for Tuesday night’s road matchup against the Detroit Pistons.