Just days ago, Miami Heat big man Bam Adebayo and former Heat guard Tyler Herro got into an altercation in Las Vegas that resulted in Adebayo hitting Herro.
The NBA world is still talking about that brouhaha, especially since Herro was recently traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in that deal that brought them Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The incident reportedly stemmed from Herro criticizing Adebayo on social media for being paid a max contract even though, in Herro’s mind, Adebayo is overrated defensively.
Heat Legend Tim Hardaway Sr. Rips Tyler Herro After Bam Adebayo Altercation
Miami has needed a few more pieces to truly contend in the Eastern Conference, and so they brought in Tim Hardaway Jr., who just completed a rock-solid season with the Denver Nuggets. His father, Hall of Famer Hardaway Sr., was a cornerstone on those tough Heat teams of the late 1990s, and recently criticized Herro for his comments on Adebayo.
When Hardaway Sr. was with the Heat, team president Pat Riley, who was also their coach at the time, was establishing and defining “Heat culture.”
Cut to now, the five-time All-Star seems to feel that Herro disrespected that culture.
“I think Herro was always on the fence — he was never always in with Bam, that’s telling me you’re not a friend, that’s telling me you wasn’t all the way Heat. You was always outside of Heat culture. For Bam to be your guy and for you to say that about him — that’s not cool…I don’t think they’ll be able to come back from that.”
“That came from the heart, what [Herro] said. That wasn’t just random stuff, that came from the heart.”
Tim Hardaway Sr is disappointed in Tyler Herro for snaking Bam Adebayo:
“I think Herro was always on the fence — he was never always in with Bam, thats telling me you’re not a friend, thats telling me you wasn’t all the way Heat…you was always outside of Heat culture…for Bam… pic.twitter.com/jveC5A38F2
— The HEAT Realm (@WadexFlash) July 13, 2026
ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania reported on Monday that Herro and Adebayo had a falling out that may have begun this past season. They were teammates in Miami for 7 years, reaching the Eastern Conference finals thrice and the NBA Finals twice.
Herro, the No. 13 pick in the 2019 draft, has evolved into a star over the last few years.
He averaged 20.5 points a game this past season and a career-high 23.9 points a game the season before that, when he made the All-Star game. A native of the Milwaukee area, the 26-year-old will now be a major part of the Bucks’ rebuilding effort.
No matter how he feels about Adebayo, the Heat big man is highly regarded across the basketball world for his effective defense.
While he isn’t a shot-blocking threat, Adebayo has earned All-Defensive honors six times in the last seven seasons and is always seemingly a candidate for the Defensive Player of the Year award.
Adebayo has made the All-Star team three times. He averaged 20.1 points, 10 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game during the 2025-26 campaign, including the 83-point game in March against the Washington Wizards.
