Miami Heat captain Bam Adebayo reportedly got into a physical altercation with former teammate Tyler Herro in which Adebayo allegedly struck Herro.
According to ESPN, the incident took place at a practice court on Friday, July 10 in Las Vegas — the site of the NBA’s Summer League showcase — when Adebayo approached Herro about a critical social media post Herro recently made. Per the report, Adebayo struck Herro near the face.
A spokesperson for the Heat told USA TODAY Sports in a text message that the franchise is aware of the matter but is not commenting further.
Later Friday, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel spoke to Herro, who told the outlet: “My only comment is no comment.”
Herro was part of the June 23 trade package that shipped Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Heat. Miami also received Bobby Portis and sent Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakučionis, three first-round picks, a second-round selection and a pick swap to the Milwaukee Bucks.
When asked about the altercation by Sirius XM NBA Radio, Bucks coach Taylor Jenkins also deflected, saying “Yeah, I have no comment on it — I don’t really know all the specifics.”
Adebayo and Herro were teammates for all seven of Herro’s seasons in the NBA, each of which had been in Miami. Adebayo (2016-17) and Herro (2018-19) also each played one season of college basketball at Kentucky, though neither player overlapped in Lexington.
It is common for current players to gather in Las Vegas during Summer League, so that they can support the rookies and young players who are participating in the games but also get additional workouts on courts across the city.
For example, video circulated Thursday, July 9 on social media showing Adebayo putting in work on his shooting. The Bucks and Heat actually played each other Friday in Summer League competition, with Miami winning, 119-86.
A few days after the trade between Miami and Milwaukee was agreed to, screenshots of direct messages between a fan and Herro were leaked, showing Herro discussing the dynamics of the Heat. Although Herro did not name Adebayo, the posts clearly indicate Adebayo was the subject of some pointed criticism.
“You should get paid 60 million to be a top tier defender on some night?” Herro wrote in one of the direct messages. “I’m just wondering, since we talking.”
Adebayo’s average salary for his current contract is $53.4 million, but he is Miami’s top-paid player.
Once those screenshots were revealed, Herro also posted an image to his Instagram story that showed players with the lowest field goal percentage this past season on midrange attempts.
The player topping the list was Antetokounmpo, with a 26.8% mark, and Adebayo ranked 10th, at 35.9%.
Earlier in the day Friday, the Amazon Prime broadcast interviewed Herro and asked about his relationship with the Heat.
“It’s all love. It’s all love in Miami,” Herro said during the interview. “I’ve seen a couple of the guys and coaching staff, (assistant) Chris Quinn, (head coach Erik Spoelstra), front office guys — we’re all good in Miami. This is an opportunity for both sides to reset, get a fresh star and we’re both super happy for this.”
It’s unclear if this interview took place before or after the altercation.
Adebayo and Herro had a cordial and friendly relationship while both played in Miami. In fact, during a taped vodcast, Herro asked Adebayo who on the Heat would always have Adebayo’s back if a fight broke out.
“I mean I would hope all of y’all, considering I got all y’all back,” Adebayo began. “One person? Man, I’mma say T, just cause we got the longest relationship.”
In response to that, Herro said: “Yeah, I’m coming.”
Agents representing Adebayo and Herro each did not return requests for comment. Spokespersons for the Bucks also did not return requests for comment.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Heat's Bam Adebayo, ex-teammate Tyler Herro reportedly have altercation
