Pat Riley speaks on the altercation with Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro.
During NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, former teammates Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro got into an altercation that resulted in Adebayo punching Herro.
Herro was seen with a mark under his eye after news of the incident had been reported and further details came out.
Herro and Adebayo were teammates in Miami for Herro's first seven seasons in the league before he was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in the offseason. Jamie Jaquez Jr, Kel'el Ware, Kasparas Jakucionis, and multiple first-round picks were also involved in the blockbuster deal that saw Miami acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis.
Pat Riley Weighs In
Heat team President Pat Riley appeared on the Dan LeBatard Show and gave his thoughts on the incident between the former teammates.
“Both of them are very competitive men. I was sorry to see it happen, more sorry to see what happened with Bam. It was over with, that's it, league's not going to do anything about it, and somewhere they'll patch up… players are addicted to social media and when you start going on X and respond to somebody who’s criticizing you.. things can happen," he said.
The incident between Herro and Adebayo stemmed from leaked DMs that Herro sent to a fan in which he criticized Adebayo and questioned his play as the highest-paid player on the team.
Herro also posted a graphic of the worst mid-range shooters in the league last season, where Giannis ranked first and Adebayo ranked tenth.
Adebayo confronted Herro at Summer League, and punched him before the two were separated.
What's Next?
The league is not taking any action against Adebayo or Herro. The Heat are also not taking any action towards Adebayo, choosing to not comment on the matter. Herro has also given no comment on the matter.
The league schedule is not out yet, so we don't know when the first meeting between Miami and Milwaukee will be, but the game took on extra value when news of Adebayo punching Herro became public.
It was always going to be a major game as it was Giannis against the team he helped lead to a championship, but the incident between Adebayo and Herro will bring an extra sense of energy, intensity, and excitement to the floor.
Otherwise, both teams will continue to move forward with their offseason plans. Milwaukee might continue to mess with its roster as they look to retool with a younger group, and Miami will wait for LeBron James to potentially join the team.
