Childhood friend, adult opponent of Jayson Tatum, Bam Adebayo on their Olympic partnership

When they face each other on the court as opponents, you would be hard-pressed to guess that star Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum and lifelong friend Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat were so close off the court. But now the duo are teammates for the US National Team as they gear up to compete for the gold in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

It is not the first time they have teamed up in such a capacity, which Adebayo spoke to a bit in a recent interview with the Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach. “We’ve won one gold medal already, and we’ve known each other since we were 12,” said the star Heat big man.

“So having that opportunity to see each other grow in this league, but also through life and have another chance to get another Olympic gold medal beside my man, it’d be a dope feeling,” he added.

On the other side of the duo, Tatum is just relieved he won’t have to play against a pair of the better head coaches in the league.

“I played against (Miami Head coach Erik Spoelstra) so many times, so it’s good to be on the same team,” said the St. Louis native. “(Golden State Warriors head coach) Steve Kerr, too.”

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