Heat's Bam Adebayo Named NBA Social Justice Champion for 2025-26 Awards Season

The Miami Heat's Bam Adebayo is being celebrated by the NBA for his charitable work in Florida and North Carolina.

Adebayo was honored with the NBA's 2025-26 Social Justice Champion Award in a Friday night broadcast on Peacock.

The win was announced by Carmelo Anthony, who took home the inaugural Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Trophy in 2021.

Adebayo was also named to the NBA's All-Defensive Second Team on the broadcast.

The NBA will donate $100,000 to Adebayo's Bam, Books & Brotherhood Foundation in honor of his win.

This isn't the first time Adebayo has been celebrated for his efforts off the court this season. The NBA and NBA Players Association named Adebayo winner of the NBA Cares Bob Lanier Community Assist Award in DEcember for hosting almost 2,300 students for a holiday meal and toy drive at Kaseya Center.

Adebayo also flew in 13 student-athletes for Heat games and activities with his team in December, according to the NBA.

That award came with $20,000 donated to the Edrice Adebayo Foundation.

Adebayo won the Social Justice Champion Award after he was credited by the NBA with investing a total of over $563,000 "into programs designed to expand access and opportunity for underserved youth and families" during the 2025-26 season.

Those initiatives donating supplies to students at the SEED School of Miami and providing transportation for 19,000 students to the Miami Book Fair, according to the NBA.

Adebayo also funded multiple youth basketball programs and donated a Heat-themed basketball court to a homeless shelter in Miami, according to the NBA.

Other finalists for the award included the Celtics' Jaylen Brown, San Antonio Spurs' Harrison Barnes, Detroit Pistons' Tobias Harris and Cleveland Cavaliers' Larry Nance Jr.

Adebayo will take home the award in addition to his sixth All-Defensive Team nomination over the last seven seasons. The Heat star was named to the Second Team from 2020-23 and received a First Team nod in 2025.