SerpApi.Org
Longtime Miami Heat President Pat Riley has never been fond of social media, and there are no signs that is about to change.
The man known as "Godfather" touched on it following the skirmish involving former Heat teammates Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro, which stemmed from leaked private messages on social media.
Riley highlighted that what happened was unfortunate and could have been avoided had those involved exercised prudence and restraint.
The incident
The altercation between Adebayo and Herro took place early this month in the Las Vegas Summer League, where both the Heat and Milwaukee Bucks saw action.
As per published reports, Adebayo took exception to Herro critiquing him on social media following Tyler's trade to the Bucks as part of the package that sent two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo to South Beach.
Herro appeared to question Adebayo's defensive capabilities in screenshots of an Instagram direct message with a fan that were shared online. Bam, who signed a three-year, $166-million extension with Miami in June 2024, reportedly approached his former teammate in a practice court in a Las Vegas Hotel and struck Herro in the head area before cooler heads prevailed.
Adebayo received a lot of flak over social media comments for what happened, with many pointing out that physical violence was an inappropriate response even if Herro did him wrong.
In his recent appearance on Dan Le Batard's podcast, Riley, 81, who has been leading the Heat organization for three decades now, chimed in on the altercation and social media use.
"I didn't like it. I didn't like it for Bam [for getting a lot of criticism following the incident]. Uh, I didn't even know he was upset because you know I read it and I didn't like it," Riley said.
"I don't like what I read and I think you know that those kinds of comments, you know, and that's what as I say social media has consequences. So, he got offended by it and I don't think they had time to talk about it or anything like that, but, uh, it happened," he added.
The NBA looked into the matter, talked to both players and the players' union and chose not to discipline Adebayo. Both parties also agreed to leave everything that had happened behind and move on.
Related: Giannis Antetokounmpo addresses possibility of returning to Milwaukee in the future
New era in Miami
Herro ended his seven-year run with the Heat after he was sent to the Bucks, along with Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis and a host of future draft picks, for Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis.
The move signaled a new era for Miami basketball that will see the "Greek Freak" try to bring back championship glory to South Beach, with help from fellow All-Star Adebayo.
Miami is also waiting to hear whether NBA superstar LeBron James will return to the team after leading it to back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013.
Riley is high on Antetokounmpo joining them in Miami, highlighting how the one-time NBA champion embodies what they want to accomplish as a team.
"It's sort of a dream or an aspiration of mine that came true," he told reporters. "I think with Bam and Giannis and Nicola Jovic and Bobby, we've got a very potent, power rotation that is very versatile."
Social media has been an integral part of the NBA landscape. And if there is one lesson from the Adebayo-Herro episode, it is that players should use these platforms responsibly to prevent misunderstandings and avoid incidents they may later regret.
