There’s a long history of disrespect — real or perceived — leading to fisticuffs in the NBA. Now with social media, players can hide behind burner accounts where they believe they can anonymously say what they’re really thinking without repercussions.
It appears Tyler Herro found out the hard way that social media chatter can have real-world consequences after an altercation with former Miami Heat teammate Bam Adebayo. Herro was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks this offseason in the deal that sent Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Heat, ending a run of nearly seven years with the franchise, a period that had great moments but now may be remembered for an altercation with the franchise cornerstone.
Adebayo punched Herro Friday morning in Las Vegas, The Athletic confirmed, at a gym at the Resorts World Casino in front of the AAU team run by Herro. The root of the altercation was a back-and-forth between a fan account and an account allegedly connected to Herro.
After the Heat-Bucks trade, a fan leaked direct messages from the alleged Herro account questioning Adebayo’s max contract: “You should get paid 60 million to be a top-tier defender on some nights?” The account didn’t stop there, as it also dinged Adebayo’s midrange shooting, which sat in the bottom third of the league at 35 percent.
The worst part is the timing. Back in January, the former teammates sat down for an interview on the Heat’s YouTube channel, and Herro asked Adebayo a simple question: Which teammate would you trust to have your back in a fight, no questions asked? Adebayo didn’t hesitate long. “I’m going to say T, just because we got the longest relationship,” he said.
It’s safe to say that relationship might be over after a fateful morning in Las Vegas.
Athletes expressing themselves isn’t the problem. Hiding behind burner accounts to vent to strangers is.
If the Instagram account was indeed Herro venting his frustrations, he joins a list of players and executives who have been caught in social media drama. The NBA doesn’t need players punching fellow players in front of high school kids to become a part of its culture.
Talking tough through DMs and social media brings inherent risks. You’re one screenshot away from your private feelings being shared publicly on someone’s Instagram.
Those risks are greater for celebrities. Their words can make headlines. Talking tough to strangers on the internet is wild. It’s one thing for your DMs to be open to family and friends, but chatting with fans is a setup for problems.
Players have always fought on and off the court. There was a period where the NBA was known for its physicality. Some of the biggest names in league history have taken swings at opponents and teammates and escaped without so much as a flagrant foul. A group of highly competitive athletes letting things get out of hand during a game isn’t shocking. Friday’s incident highlighted the risk that private comments can provoke public violence.
Herro wasn’t the first player to get hit by another player. Charles Oakley, then of the Toronto Raptors, slapped the Philadelphia 76ers’ Tyrone Hill before a 2000 preseason game over an unpaid gambling debt. Oakley later was suspended and fined $10,000 in April 2001 for throwing a ball at Hill during a shootaround. He also was suspended three games and fined $15,000 for punching LA Clippers guard Jeff McInnis over comments he made during an earlier game.
Zach Randolph recalled when Portland Trail Blazers teammate Ruben Patterson had been a “bully” and took some locker room roughhousing too far. Patterson slammed a young Randolph so hard in the locker room that it hurt his back.
That animosity lingered, and during a practice altercation between Patterson and Qyntel Woods, Randolph punched Patterson and fractured his eye socket. Randolph was fined $100,000 and suspended two games.
Golden State’s Draymond Green punched teammate Jordan Poole in 2022 in perhaps the most notorious example in recent years of an altercation involving teammates.
That’s just a small sample of instances when issues went beyond words.
But now the added layer of social media and burners create more opportunities to say things you wouldn’t say to anyone’s face.
And screenshots live forever.
Any athlete chatting with a fan in disparaging ways about another player shows questionable judgment. The risks of exposure are too great. Even using a burner account is risky. There is no true anonymity in a world of internet sleuths.
The Houston Rockets’ Kevin Durant was accused of using a burner account on X to criticize teammates. It wasn’t the first time Durant was tied to a burner. He apologized in 2017 after accidentally revealing his identity while using another account to criticize his former coach, Billy Donovan, and former Oklahoma City Thunder teammates. He forgot to switch accounts and ended up referring to himself in the third person.
Players aren’t alone in the burner games. Former NBA executive Bryan Colangelo was caught with a burner account in 2018 with Philadelphia and later resigned.
Adebayo punching Herro in front of high school athletes isn’t the way disputes should be handled. It’s unacceptable and just not smart. The multimillion-dollar center could have gotten injured and possibly sparked a wider altercation in a gym full of AAU players who were part of Herro’s team. It’s also possible Adebayo will face discipline from the NBA.
If the alleged screenshots are indeed Herro’s words, him choosing to vent to an anonymous fan (if it was really a fan) is baffling and also inexcusable. We may never know what was said before a punch was thrown.
As long as there are social media, burner accounts and someone willing to share screenshots, the potential for another altercation between players remains.
Why? It’s just too easy to let one’s fingers do the talking if they think they can get away with it.
