Profile | From a "low-income household" with an annual salary of 10,000 yuan to an NBA star worth over 100 million yuan

In a dilapidated trailer house, a mother and her son embrace each other, reflecting the truest hardship and hope in American slums.

"My motivation in life comes from that woman - my mother," Adebayor said emotionally in an interview.

Like most stars, Adebayor was born in a single-parent family. His father is John Adebayor, a Yoruba man in Nigeria. Before his son was born, the elder Adebayor abandoned his wife and son. Until his death in 2020, the father and son did not have a real communication. His mother's name is Marilyn Blount, an African-American. She single-handedly brought up Adebayor and trained him into an NBA star with correct views and excellent character.

When Marilyn was in high school, she also majored in basketball and was the tallest girl on the school team. A large part of Adebayor’s basketball genes came from her mother. Later, due to various reasons, Marilyn had to give up basketball. , devoted herself to family and life. When she was 7 years old, she moved with her son to the countryside of northern North Carolina and lived in a trailer house. Since she did not have a car, Marilyn could only walk to a nearby farm to work every day. When she got home at night, it was already past eight o'clock.

So most of the time, Adebayor stayed at home alone. The annual income of 10,000 US dollars made the family precarious and barely had enough food and clothing. However, Marilyn's optimistic attitude and correct values ​​never made Adebayor feel inferior. She often told her son that a person can have nothing, but his heart must not be barren. She also encouraged her son that as long as he is a good person at heart, he will be able to make a difference in the future.

That's what Marilyn said, and that's what she did.

"She always tries to help those who are more unfortunate than us. Many times we sit at home and watch TV, and there will be some touching public service advertisements on TV, the kind with tear-jerking BGM and lines such as "Give the child a bite of food." After seeing those advertisements, she would always say to me, we never know how many people are more unfortunate than us, so we must treat others with respect. If the other person is really in more difficulty than you, then at least try your best to lend a helping hand."

Under Marilyn's education, even though Adebayor clearly realized that other people's children not only have mothers but also fathers, and they live in different houses, in Adebayor's heart, the trailer house they live in is no worse than any grand house, and the family he and his mother form is happier than any other family in the town.

Although Marilyn's basketball skills are very high, she never forced Adebayor to follow this path, so it was not until the sixth grade that he really came into contact with basketball for the first time.

"I like watching basketball games. My idol is Kobe Bryant. One day, I was watching Kobe Bryant's game with my cousin. We were sitting there watching and chatting. At that time, he seemed to be participating in a high school tryout. He said to me, 'Hey, brother, you should also join the basketball team.' I replied, 'Okay, right. Well, I have something to do."

This is Adebayor's first time on the court. He can hardly attack, and his skills are very rough. He can't even basic dribble. He can only rely on his thick body to fight for rebounds. But even so, Adebayor still feels very happy. This is the most valuable asset Marilyn brought to him - optimism.

Of course, Adebayor was also aware of the gap, but he felt that he was okay from the bottom of his heart. Gradually, he fell in love with this sport and began to devote all his enthusiasm to it. He did specific exercises around the block every day. To this day, Adebayor still retains some of his habits.

"This is like your daily nutritional supplement. You need to practice every day to maintain your condition."

No matter how hard you work, you will gain something. This is why Adebayor likes basketball. As long as you train hard enough, your ability will improve. In high school, after years of saving, he finally grew into the top high school student in the United States.

As a senior, he averaged 32.2 points and 21 rebounds per game. As a senior, he transferred to High Point Christian Academy and posted a record of 18.9 points, 13 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, and 1.5 assists, leading the team to the 2019 NBA Championship. In the state finals, Adebayor's reputation reached its peak. He received a five-star high school rating and was regarded as one of the three strongest high school students in the 17th class. As North Carolina Mr. Basketball, he was qualified to participate in the McDonald's All-American Game and the Jordan Classic.

After graduation, Adebayor joined the prestigious University of Kentucky. Unfortunately, because the team had Fox and Monk, Adebayor had almost no presence on the offensive end. He averaged only 13 points, 8 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game. This also caused his predicted ranking to decline, and he was eventually picked by the Heat with the 14th overall pick.

It can also be seen from the scouting report at the time that the outside world had mixed reviews of Adebayor. They believed that he was at best the next Tristan Thompson. He lacked agility and skills, was 2.06 meters tall, and had no advantage at the 5th position. The result was as predicted.

In the first two seasons of his career, Adebayor's performance was almost the same as that of Tristan Thompson, with 7-8 points and 7-8 rebounds in a game. But the difference was that his shooting percentage was not as good as that of Thompson at his peak, only about 50%. This also made general manager Riley think of sending gifts many times. According to his idea, a turning point occurred in 2019. The team's insider Whiteside had a disagreement with the team's coach Spoelstra. The conflict between the two parties became more and more serious and reached the point of irreconcilability. During the offseason, the Heat sent Whiteside to the Trail Blazers, which also gave Adebayor the opportunity to become the starter..

That summer, Adebayor visited famous players. At the same time, he also summarized why Whiteside was eliminated by the times. He improved his low-post skills and shooting ability, and then asked the team to compile some game videos, and he had a clearer understanding of tactics, reading the game, and defensive positioning.

Opportunities are reserved for those who are prepared. In the 19-20 season, Adebayor played 72 games, all of which were starts. He averaged 33.6 minutes per game, setting a career record. He also lived up to Coach Spoelstra's trust and handed over a report card averaging 15.9 points, 10.2 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game.

This year, Adebayor gained a lot. He was recognized by the entire league. He was selected as the All-Star for the first time as a starter. In the skills competition, he defeated many players and won the championship. After the season, Adebayor was selected to the second defensive team.

So what if we don’t have three points? A precise shooting hand, an organization comparable to that of a top guard, and DPOY-level defense. With these abilities, Adebayor has surpassed 99.9% of the league's insiders. After the game, the Heat directly provided him with a five-year contract extension with a maximum of US$195 million.

After becoming famous, Adebayo still remained optimistic and kind. He used his first salary to buy a house for his mother Marilyn. On the wall of the new home was a photo of their trailer house, and then attached a sentence that his mother often said below, "A person should never forget his roots, but he should never lose his future direction."

Marilyn was very excited when she saw it, but the first one to cry was Adebayor's agent. He was the coach of Adebayor during his AUU campaign and witnessed every step of Adebayor's life after he was 12 years old. He knew very well how difficult it was for the mother and son, and he was proud of Adebayor's achievements.

Off the court, Adebayor also inherited his mother's kindness. Every time he came home from get off work or went to a restaurant to eat, he would pay for some compatriots who were in need.

"I don't even know them, and they don't know me. Or, when I drive to a certain consumption place, I will ask the store, 'Put the money of the person behind me on my account, don't tell him in advance.', Or during Christmas, I will select a few people from Miami and my hometown. For children, ask them to write a wish list, and then fulfill it for them one by one. I do these things from my heart, not to spread them out.”

Adebayor hopes that he can make a child feel happy in suffering like my mother.

"He may also realize that he can work hard to grow up and change his life. Maybe that child can become a football star, a basketball star, an entrepreneur, a doctor... Then he may also think of my good deeds and pass these things on. In this way, a domino-like effect will slowly form." - Bam Adebayo