The Miami Heat have won the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes, but they aren’t considered a serious title contender for next season despite acquiring the superstar from the Milwaukee Bucks. That roster just isn’t looking all too great right now, and questions have been asked about why the Heat were a team Antetokounmpo was interested in being traded to. Well, we might now know one of the reasons why.
Sport24’s Harris Stavrou took to X to share a clip from 2025 in which they had asked Antetokounmpo who his toughest opponent is.
“Toughest opponent is probably Bam Adebayo,” Antetokounmpo said.
That’s high praise for Heat star Bam Adebayo. As if that wasn’t enough, Antetokounmpo also included Adebayo in his dream starting five, including himself.
“Starting at center, Bam Adebayo,” Antetokounmpo said. “At power forward, Giannis Antetokounmpo. Small forward Kevin Durant. Shooting guard, at shooting guard Anthony Edwards… And at point guard, Luka Doncic.”
Back in September 2025, we asked Giannis who his toughest opponent in the NBA is and the center he would pick for his dream lineup.
Hint: They will now be teammates 😜 pic.twitter.com/vsE0lbLlEC
— Harris Stavrou (@harris_stavrou) June 23, 2026
Kevin Durant, Anthony Edwards, and Luka Doncic are three players you wouldn’t be surprised to see named in a dream starting lineup. You’d struggle to find too many who’d have Adebayo in there, though. The three-time All-Star clearly made a strong impression on Antetokounmpo in their battles over the years.
Adebayo is coming off a season in which he averaged 20.1 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game for the Heat. The 28-year-old made the All-Defensive Second Team and remains one of the best defenders in the NBA.
This was the sixth All-Defensive team that Adebayo made in his career. That’s one more than Antetokounmpo, who has made five. The 31-year-old also won DPOY in 2020, and these two should make the Heat a formidable team on the defensive end.
Antetokounmpo and Adebayo might have Andrew Wiggins by their side, too, depending on what he does with his $30 million player option for 2026-27. Wiggins is a pretty good defender as well and, crucially, is a great shooter, too. The Canadian shot an excellent 41.4% from beyond the arc last season.
Neither Antetokounmpo nor Adebayo is a good three-point shooter. They aren’t a great fit offensively, and the Heat will need to surround them with shooters. They need a quality playmaker as well, and it will be interesting to see what this roster looks like after free agency.
The Heat will need to pull off some stunning moves if they are to be talked about as a team that could win it all.
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Reaction To Bam Adebayo’s 83-Point Game
Adebayo is by no means an elite offensive player, but he sure looked like one on March 10, 2026, against the Washington Wizards. He stunningly scored 83 points, but not everyone was singing his praises afterwards. Adebayo was accused of stat-padding and foul-baiting, but Antetokounmpo made it clear it didn’t matter that it took him 43 free throws.
“It doesn’t matter how you get there,” Antetokounmpo stated. “All that means that you got it. Like in 10, 20, 30 years from now, nobody’s going to remember how many free throws he shot. I don’t think I remember how many shots Kobe [Bryant] shot or how many free throws he made or threes. All you remember is 81. Wilt [Chamberlain], 100. You don’t remember that. So, at the end of the day, he got 83 points.”
The fact that Adebayo’s performance helped the Heat win 150-129 that night also impressed Antetokounmpo.
“Great way to help your team win a game,” Antetokounmpo said. “I know that his family, his close friends, they’re extremely excited and happy for him. And again, speaks volume in his hard work. I know Bam. He works his butt off every single day. He never cheats the game, and seeing a guy like him doing something like this is incredible.”
Well, Antetokounmpo and Adebayo will now try to do some incredible things together on the Heat. They’d believe they can prove the doubters wrong, and time will tell if they do.
