Essentials: Bam Adebayo

In the latest installment of Essentials, Hypebeast joins Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo in Miami, Florida, to talk about travel and lifestyle necessities that stay in rotation.

Miami Heat fans know him as Bam Adebayo, but the jumbo-sized, Nigerian-American athlete was born Edrice Femi Adebayo in Newark, New Jersey, to a single-family home. After flipping a coffee table over while watching the Flintstones at the age of one, Bam Adebayo’s mother nicknamed her little bundle of joy after Bamm-Bamm Rubble, a mischievous and rambunctious toddler. At the age of seven, his mother moved the family from Newark to rural North Carolina, starting a new chapter in a single-wide trailer home.

His impressive, albeit clumsy, strength evolved as he became a coordinated college basketball player for the University of Kentucky’s Kentucky Wildcats and Miami Heat’s 14th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. A three-time NBA All-Star and a four-time NBA All-Defensive Second Team honoree, Bam Adebayo’s legacy is still in the making, and the right people are watching. Noticing his achievements on and off the court, Michael Jordan selected the 26-year-old to join Jordan Brand in 2021. Credited for helping the Miami Heat storm the NBA finals alongside Jimmy Butler in 2020 and 2023, Adebayo has been integral to the team’s evolution, with a loyal fanbase that believes in his grit, ambition and sheer tenacity.

“It’s a blessing. I was handpicked. It wasn't like I came to Jordan and was like, ‘I want to be a Jordan athlete.’ That wasn't the deal. It was Jordan saying, ‘I want him to be a part of my brand.’ And obviously that's a big thank you from me to Jordan. Being able to wear the brand and custom [models] that I've always wanted since I was younger. Being able to wear all custom Jordan — it just speaks volumes to be a reflection of that on the court, in my own way,” notes Adebayo.

Growing up watching Kobe Bryant dominate the game, Adebayo developed a thing for low tops. “I grew up a low top fan. I was inspired by Kobe Bryant. When he started making his Nike shoes, they started to become low tops. At that point, I just always wanted to wear low top sneakers. I went from wanting Kobe's lows to wanting Air Force 1s to Jordan 1 Lows.”

In 2023, the athlete wore a player-exclusive colorway of the Air Jordan 37 Low, inspired by his favorite gum, Juicy Fruit. Sporting them during the Eastern Conference Finals, the baby pink construction featured purple and yellow accents and pink mesh inserts in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Since living in Miami, the athlete admits he’s comfort-oriented. If it isn’t cozy, Adebayo can’t be bothered. Rotating through graphic T-shirts, shorts and sweatpants, he keeps his fits simple and cohesive. “All my fashion fits I just want to be cozy but pop. A simple pop, like a type of aura. I'm not the person that walks in the room and wants to be the person everybody notices. But I am one of those people, when I walk in, I want you to look at me and be like, ‘dang, his outfit really fits him.’” Adebayo was taught the benefits of preventive skincare at a young age by his mom. Tatcha’s Dewy Skin Cream and a boar bristle brush for curly, afro-textured hair are among his favorite beauty items, usually stashed away in his Louis Vuitton Avenue Slingbag NM. “I got my skin and hair routine. It matters how you appear to people and how you present yourself. I feel like men should really hone in on [their] skin care routines. 'Cause when we get older, we get old,” Adebayo jokes.

A worn copy of Caron Butler’s Tuff Juice: My Journey from the Streets to the NBA, is just one of the cherished items Adebayo keeps on hand. A humbling and inspirational read for any sports lover, Caron Butler’s autobiography details his youth, from his troubled adolescence to playing ball at UConn, and later, playing for the Dallas Mavericks, who went on to win the 2011 NBA Championship. Now the current assistant coach of Miami Heat, Butler’s story encouraged Adebayo to embrace and share his own basketball journey with the public and his fans.

“Every time I reread it, I always get a life lesson out of it, because one, I can talk to him. And two, you've seen somebody that's been at the very bottom of the bottom rise to the top through all these obstacles. Being able to talk to kids that have had similar lifestyles as him, and being able to explain to them that they do not have to submit to their lows. I feel like that's what really resonates between me and him. Giving the kids an outlet to see he's made it out. He had a second chance and shed light on that,” says Adebayo.

The same year Adebayo was drafted, he founded The BBB Foundation (Bam, Books and Brotherhood), dedicated to at-risk youth. Providing low-income and single-parent families with educational resources, food, clothing and community-led programs, Adebayo attributes its founding to his mother, the soul, voice and heartbeat behind the organization, and his first supporter. Following this sentiment, his Macintosh laptop is adorned with a customized screen protector enshrining a special moment from his college days. “I'm a mama's boy, and I love my mom to death. That picture was taken after we won the SEC Championship. She came to support me,” says Adebayo. Under John Calipari’s leadership, Adebayo nabbed nine rebounds and the Kentucky Wildcats defeated Arkansas Razorbacks 82–65. For the athlete, that moment solidified his sense of pride on the court, all the more special with his mother by his side.

“My mom's always been my rock, my pride, my joy. She's always been with me through the ups and downs. I always shed light on her because she's been through so much. We lived off of $12,000 a year. To see her go from having to decide whether to keep the lights on or waiting a month so she can stack her money up. She kept food on the table and clothes on my back — doing that as a single parent while walking to work. She was committed to me feeling like I had everything.”

In Adebayo's Miami property — a well-curated and well-deserved bachelor pad flexing the 26-year-old’s accomplishments — a portrait of the athlete sitting in front of his childhood trailer hangs center stage in the foyer. It's the first piece of artwork guests see, a reminder that before the fame and stardom, a little boy and his mother weathered the storm together.