NBA report: Bam Adebayo has been criticized by LeBron James due to his inability to……

MIAMI — Bam Adebayo felt he had made significant progress, but he’ll have to accept a step forward in recognition of his defensive skills.

After falling short as a finalist for the NBA Defensive Player of the Year, the Miami Heat big man was named to the NBA All-Defensive first team for the first time in his seven-year career on Tuesday.

“It feels like it’s been a long time coming,” Adebayo said Tuesday, shortly after the league’s announcement. “But I’m just staying in this moment, enjoying it, and feeling blessed to be one of those selected.”

Unlike the financial benefits that would have come with being named Defensive Player of the Year, such as eligibility for a supermax extension this offseason, Tuesday’s honor stands as a matter of pride for the cornerstone of Erik Spoelstra’s defense.

Adebayo finished third in the Defensive Player of the Year voting, behind Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert and runner-up Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs. This year’s change to positionless selection for the league’s two All-Defensive teams in the weighted media balloting completed before the playoffs worked in Adebayo’s favor.

Alongside Gobert, Wembanyama, and Adebayo, the first-team NBA All-Defensive included Los Angeles Lakers center Anthony Davis and New Orleans Pelicans forward Herbert Jones.

Adebayo becomes the third player in the Heat’s 36-year history to make first-team All-Defensive, joining center Alonzo Mourning (1999, 2000) and forward LeBron James (2011, 2012, 2013). He also became the first player in the franchise’s history to make five All-Defensive teams.

Adebayo views Tuesday’s honor as another step towards his goal of becoming Defensive Player of the Year, an accolade only Mourning (1999, 2000) has won with the Heat.