Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo, left, and Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, right, meet on the court after an NBA basketball game, Monday, Nov. 6, 2023, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Bam Adebayo’s celebration of Miami’s first 20-rebound triple-double turned out to be premature after an NBA statistical review took away one of the rebounds he had been credited with in Monday’s 108-107 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
“My first reaction was ‘That’s a buzzkill,'” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said Wednesday before the Heat’s game against the Grizzlies in Memphis. “Come on! He was doing a big-muscle workout on the glass. Let it go.
“Was it a tip, or whatever? That’s 20 rebounds in my book.”
On the play in question, Adebayo blocked a shot and the ball ultimately landed with teammate Duncan Robinson, who was belatedly credited with the rebound.
“It’s whatever,” Adebayo said. “I’ve seen a lot of dudes get their stats padded and nobody bats an eye. But it’s all good.
“I’ll do it again.”
Welp 22, 19, 10 Since @NBA Wants To Take My Rebound 🤷🏾♂️….
— 13am Adebayo💥 (@Bam1of1) November 8, 2023
Adebayo still finished with a triple-double, but didn’t join Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Chris Walker, DeMarcus Cousins and Nikola Jokic as the only NBA players with 20-rebound triple-doubles.
The league reviews all statistics during and after games, sometimes tweaking numbers when it determines that, for instance, a shot initially credited as a three-pointer was actually worth two.
“I’m not mad at that,” Adebayo said. “It’s part of basketball. I’ve just got to make sure I get my 20th rebound next time.”