MIAMI – As Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra made an effort to call out a missed foul call on Bam Adebayo in the final play of the 106-104 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, the big-man himself spoke about the play. With the Heat’s captain amid an offensive resurgence, he would talk about the play itself and the encounter with the officials after the game.

After the loss, Miami is now 29-33 which puts them seventh in the Eastern Conference.

Heat’s Bam Adebayo calls interaction with referee “disrespectful”

In what was another frustrating close loss by Miami, the final play is in question as the team had a chance to either tie or win the game with just over a second left. Adebayo would get the ball and attempt a quick three-pointer, but didn’t make it as he thought that Minnesota’s Julius Randle fouled him.

He would try to speak to a referee after the game, but Adebayo would say after the game that he got “nothing” from the conversation as Adebayo wanted to talk about the officiating throughout the game. The 27-year-old would go as far as to say that it was “utterly disrespectful” how the referee walked away from him and didn’t look at him in his eyes.

“It wasn’t even about the last play. It was throughout the whole game,” Adebayo said. “I don’t really get too confrontational. I don’t really get into it with the refs because it’s like, it’s their jobs, and it’s our job to at the end of the day like, dudes fighting for everything on the line. So it’s like, to me, have the decency enough to look me in my eyes when I’m having a conversation.”

“Obviously we lost,” Adebayo continued. “I don’t understand, like, why they think we can’t be emotional. It’s like we’re gonna be emotional win or lose games, like we have a conversation and it gets heated. It’s not because I just want to go at you. It’s because, s*** is happening in the game like I said, have the decency enough to look a man in his eyes, not walk away like that, to me, is utterly disrespectful in a man’s game.”

Heat’s Bam Adebayo speaks more on conversation with referee 

Along with Adebayo achieving a Heat record for most all-time double-doubles, he has turned his season around offensively as Friday was another masterful display. He would finish the game, leading the team with 29 points on 11 for 21 shooting from the field to go along with 13 rebounds and four assists.

Speaking more about the interaction with the officials after the game, he would double down on how “disrespectful” it was and believes they should get repercussions like how they do with players in regards to technical fouls, fines, and more. He would make sure to say how he isn’t “confrontational” which tracks with the amount of respect he gets in the NBA due to how he composes himself and especially his time with Team USA in the Olympics.

“I’m pretty cool with all the referees,” Adebayo said. “That’s the thing. Like I said, I’m not confrontational, but I am emotional when I’m out there, because we’re fighting to get wins. Everybody does it. I’ve seen dudes really say some crazy stuff to referees and they don’t tech them up. So you know, I had the decency enough to wait after the game to have my conversation, because it’s like, I want to have a conversation with you.”

“That’s what you’re supposed to do as a man, face to face,” Adebayo continued. “But when you’re walking away and stuff like that, it’s just truly disrespectful. And I feel like you know stuff should happen when they do that, because when we get emotional and we walk away, we get tech’d up and we get fined, and I think that’s crazy.”

At any rate, Adebayo looks to recover quickly after a frustrating ending as the Heat will face the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night.