The fight between Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro in Las Vegas on Friday was ugly, and the ugly is landing on Herro.
Multiple players and coaches told Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports that Herro carries a reputation for being cocky and antagonistic with opponents. One anonymous source called his behavior the “same boring tough-guy” routine everyone in the league has come to expect. That is the vibe around the incident, and it is not kind to Herro.
Adebayo reportedly walked onto a gym court at Resorts World, heard Herro say something, and swung. According to The Athletic, the punch left a visible mark under Herro’s eye. Shams Charania added that Adebayo had already been furious with Herro over comments the guard made on social media.
Sources close to the Heat believe Herro is angry that Adebayo stayed silent during the offseason trade rumors that had him linked to Giannis Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee. Herro felt Adebayo did nothing publicly or privately to reinforce Herro’s value to Miami. That is a wild take when Herro was always going to be the biggest salary needed to make any Giannis deal work.
Herro then made things worse. At the Heat Summer League game later that night, he told reporters “it’s all love in Miami” and praised the coaching staff. Look at the black eye and try to say that with a straight face.
Herro has been in on-court confrontations before, and this is not the first time teammates and rivals have questioned his edge. The gap between the persona he sells online and how veterans in the league actually see him is getting harder to hide.
The Heat now have to figure out what to do with a guard who just got clocked by their franchise center. Miami is expected to trade Herro if they land Antetokounmpo, and this incident probably speeds that up rather than slowing it down.
Adebayo will likely face discipline. He should. You cannot swing on a fellow professional in a public gym no matter what was said. But the story around the league is not about Adebayo losing control. It is about a guy who has apparently pushed too many people too far for too long.
Tyler Herro is a good player. He is also, based on this week, a guy his own All-Star teammate wanted to hit in the face. That is not a reputation you shake off with one press conference.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
