Bam Adebayo named NBA All-Star for third time in career. A look at elite Heat list he joins

Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo is again an NBA All-Star.

Adebayo will represent the Heat as an Eastern Conference All-Star reserve in the Feb. 18 showcase game, which will take place at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. It marks the second straight season that Adebayo has been named an All-Star and the third time he has been selected as an All-Star in his seven NBA seasons, with his first All-Star selection coming in the 2019-20 season.

The seven All-Star reserves from each conference, which were voted on by head coaches, were revealed Thursday night on TNT.

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Adebayo, 26, joins Alonzo Mourning, Shaquille O’Neal, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh as the only six players in franchise history who have been voted into the All-Star Game three or more times as members of the Heat.

Jimmy Butler, the Heat’s other top All-Star candidate this season, did not make the cut. At this point, the only way the Heat could have a second player in the All-Star Game is as an injury replacement.

The seven All-Star reserve spots include three frontcourt players, two guards and two players regardless of position.

Along with Adebayo, Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics, Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks, Julius Randle of the Knicks, Tyrese Maxey of the Philadelphia 76ers and Paolo Banchero of the Orlando Magic were named as Eastern Conference All-Star reserves.

The seven All-Star reserves from the Western Conference are Kawhi Leonard of the Los Angeles Clippers, Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers, Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns, Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, Paul George of the Clippers, and Karl-Anthony Towns of the Timberwolves.

Adebayo and Butler were both considered frontcourt players on the All-Star ballot.

Butler, who has been voted into the All-Star Game in two of his five seasons with the Heat, is averaging 21.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.2 steals per game while shooting an efficient 49.8 percent from the field and a career-high 43.7 percent on threes. While those appear to be All-Star level numbers, the 34-year-old Butler has already missed 15 games this season and his best sustained stretch of play has come in recent days.

Another factor working against Butler’s All-Star case and the team’s chances of being represented by multiple All-Stars? The Heat entered Thursday in seventh place in the East standings at 25-23 after snapping a seven-game losing streak with Wednesday night’s home win over the Sacramento Kings.

In the end, Adebayo is the one who was selected by the coaches as the Heat’s lone All-Star.

Adebayo is averaging career-highs in points (20.6 per game), rebounds (10.6 per game) and minutes (34.8 per game) while anchoring the Heat’s defense this season. He’s also averaging 4.2 assists, one steal and one block per game, but his shooting percentage has dropped from 54 percent last regular season to 50.1 percent this season.

Adebayo, who has missed 10 games this season, is one of only four players in the NBA who entered Thursday averaging at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and four assists per game this season. The other three players on that list were chosen as All-Star Game starters —Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid and Denver’s Nikola Jokic.

Adebayo also ranks first on the Heat in advanced metrics like defensive win shares and defensive estimated plus/minus.

The All-Star Game starters — voted on by fans, current NBA players and a media panel — were announced last week.

Milwaukee’s Damian Lillard and Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton are the two East guards voted in as starters, with Antetokounmpo, Embiid and Boston’s Jayson Tatum as the three East frontcourt players who made the cut.

The West All-Star starters are Jokic, Los Angeles’ LeBron James and Phoenix’s Kevin Durant in the frontcourt, and Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Dallas’ Luka Doncic in the backcourt.

After the All-Star Game moved away from the classic East vs. West matchup in recent seasons, the All-Star Game has returned to the traditional East vs. West format this season..

Adebayo won’t be the only Heat representative at All-Star Weekend this year.

Heat rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. was selected as one of 11 NBA rookies to participate in the Feb. 16 Rising Stars event that will take place at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The Rising Stars competition includes 11 NBA rookies, 10 second-year NBA players and seven G League players.

Jaquez is the 11th different Heat player in franchise history to be selected for the Rising Stars Game, joining a list that includes Khalid Reeves (1995), Kurt Thomas (1996), Caron Butler (2003), Wade (2004 and 2005), Udonis Haslem (2004 and 2005), Michael Beasley (2009 and 2010), Norris Cole (2012), Kendrick Nunn (2020), Tyler Herro (2020 and 2021) and Precious Achiuwa (2021).

While it has not been announced yet, the expectation is that Jaquez will also take part in the Feb. 17 Slam Dunk Contest during All-Star Weekend. All-Star Saturday Night, which includes the Dunk Contest, will happen at the Indianapolis Colts’ home venue, Lucas Oil Stadium.

Jaquez would become the fifth different Heat player to participate in the Slam Dunk Contest, joining Billy Thompson (1990), Harold Miner (1993 and 1995), and Derrick Jones Jr. (2020). The short list of Heat participants who have won the event includes Miner, who claimed the dunk crown in 1993 and 1995, and Jones, who was the dunk champion in 2020.

As of Thursday night, the Heat is not expected to have a participant in the other All-Star Saturday Night events — the Skills Challenge and the Three-Point Contest.

But the Heat’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, will be represented at All-Star Weekend by Cole Swider and Alondes Williams in the G League Up Next Game that will take place at the Indiana Convention Center on Feb. 18. Swider is signed by the Heat to a two-way deal and can’t sign with another NBA team, but Williams is eligible to sign with any NBA team despite playing for the Heat’s G League affiliate since he is not on an NBA contract.

The Heat has seven games left to play before the All-Star break, with Friday’s matchup against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena up next (7 p.m., Bally Sports Sun).