According to Bam Adebayo, Gabe Vincent came alive for the Miami Heat after helping Nigeria beat the USA.
After the Heat's victory in Game 2 of the NBA Finals, Bam Adebayo reflected on Gabe Vincent's outstanding performance against Team USA in an exhibition game before the Tokyo Olympics.
When Nigeria defeated the USA 90-87 in an Olympic exhibition game in 2021, it was one of the biggest upsets in basketball history, and Vincent was a member of the D'Tigers team.
With a game-high 21 points and a stellar shooting performance that included six made triples, Vincent controlled that game.
Vincent scored a game-high 23 points on 8 of 12 shooting, including 4-of-6 from three-point range, to lead the Heat to a 111-108 victory, and Adebayo compared his performance to that exhibition game featuring Nigeria and the USA.
Bam Adebayo on Gabe Vincent
Speaking at the post-game press conference, Adebayo said, “Man, when he torched us in the Olympics, in the exhibition game facing Nigeria.
"He came out with that type of energy, that type of voracity, and that type of anger. I felt like, from there, he's one of us.”
After Gabe Vincent's outstanding performance in that exhibition game, according to Bam Adebayo, he discovered that Gabe Vincent was associated with the Heat Culture.
Adebayo now realizes that Vincent was a secondary player in the NBA who was just getting his NBA career off the ground when he played against the USA.
Vincent accepted the task of guiding Nigeria to a shocking victory over a Team USA starting lineup that had an All-Star lineup, featuring Bradley Beal, Jayson Tatum, Kevin Durant, and Bam Adebayo.
Since then, Gabe Vincent has kept going, exhibiting his extraordinary confidence.
In the playoffs, Vincent really stepped up, starting every game, averaging 13.4 points and 3.9 assists, and shooting 40.0% from 3-point range on 6.4 attempts.
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