Key Points
- Bam Adebayo struck Tyler Herro in the head in a Las Vegas altercation July 10, sources told ESPN.
- The confrontation followed Herro's social-media criticism of Adebayo after his trade to Milwaukee.
- Herro was dealt from Miami to the Bucks in June's Giannis Antetokounmpo blockbuster.
- Both the Heat and Bucks declined to comment on the incident.
The fallout from the summer's Giannis Antetokounmpo trade turned physical. Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo struck former teammate Tyler Herro in the head during an altercation at a practice court inside a Las Vegas hotel on Friday morning, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania. The two were in Las Vegas for NBA Summer League.
According to those sources, the confrontation began when Adebayo approached Herro about comments the guard had made criticizing him on social media after their seven-year run together in Miami ended. Following Herro's trade to Milwaukee, screenshots circulated of an Instagram direct message with a fan in which Herro appeared to question Adebayo's defensive effort — and whether that effort matched a player earning roughly $60 million a year.
Herro was seated courtside at the Thomas & Mack Center for Friday's Summer League game between the Heat and Bucks, and was interviewed on the Prime broadcast during the game, before news of the altercation broke. Neither franchise addressed the specifics: the Heat said it was aware of the incident but would not comment, and the Bucks also declined.
This is the aftermath of a franchise-altering deal. Herro and Adebayo were the two longest-tenured Heat players, the backcourt-and-frontcourt spine of Miami's roster, until the team traded a package built around Herro to land Giannis Antetokounmpo. Blockbusters are celebrated as roster upgrades, but they sever partnerships built over years — and here the split spilled from social media onto a Las Vegas practice court. Miami has spent the offseason rebuilding around Giannis and Adebayo, re-signing Andrew Wiggins and adding Tim Hardaway Jr.; the Herro chapter, clearly, has not closed cleanly.
Source: ESPN, Yahoo Sports
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