SAN ANTONIO — It seems that old wounds don't heal fast for Miami's Bam Adebayo.
In 2019, Team USA had to make some roster cuts before the start of the FIBA World Cup.
And Adebayo was a casualty, leaving him still sour with San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, despite helping him win the gold medal in Tokyo.
Speaking with Sports Illustrated, Adebayo spoke out about how much it still bothers him that Popovich cut him, and how much it's fueled him.
“I felt like I should have been on the team. When I got to the Olympics, I had to let my animosity go because he was my coach at the time,” Adebayo said.
The Heat center did put aside his ill-feelings towards Popovich for the good of the gold-medal winning Olympic team, but he will never forget what happened to him in 2019.
"'But when we leave [Tokyo], just know I’ll never forget that you cut me,'” Adebayo said about his conversation with the Spurs head coach.
According to Adebayo, Popovich respected his comments saying he will have to live with it.
Ultimately, the pair did win gold at the Tokyo games. He even would become the team's starting center.
And in an odd way, Popovich's move to cut Adebayo spurred him into becoming one of the NBA's elite defensive big men.
So, perhaps, getting waived was good motivation for Adebayo in the long run.
Twitter: @KENS5, @JeffGSpursKENS5