Contract extension? Check. Olympic gold? Check. Next up for Heat's Bam Adebayo ... leading man?

MIAMI — It was a summer spent among the leading men of this NBA generation, sharing in gold alongside LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant at the Paris Olympics.

“That’s one of the most historic things that I’ve done, being part of a team that is compared to the Dream Team,” Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo said this week, a month after playing alongside a roster so talented that it drew apt comparison to the 1992 Team USA Olympic roster that featured Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.

So, yes, the Heat’s captain very much was touched by enduring greatness.

“You can’t put words behind when you see LeBron, KD and Steph on the court together, not competing against each other, competing for one goal, to win,” the Heat big man continued.

“When you see it in person, every day, it’s a different type of ballgame, to be able to be a part of a team where you have three, for-sure, first-ballot Hall of Famers.”

Now, less than three weeks prior to the start of his eighth Heat training camp, the Olympic glow still ever present, there has become consideration of another reflection for Adebayo, of whether what follows will become his own opportunity to become a leading man.

Turning 35 on Saturday, Jimmy Butler is headed toward the back end of his career. At 24, Tyler Herro still is finding his way. And then there is Adebayo, two-time Olympic gold medalist, at 27 in the sweet spot of his Heat career.

Since Paris, since he stood alone among Heat players on such an international stage, the question has been put forth directly. He has seen it coming, knows it will be coming on Sept. 30 at media day at Kaseya Center, before the team leaves for training camp at the Baha Mar resort in the Bahamas.

“I think a leading man isn’t only a scorer,” said Adebayo, whose career-high scoring average was his 20.4 in 2022-23, followed by 19.3 last season. “I feel like everybody, when they think of a leading man, they think of scoring.

“I feel like that’s not the only thing a leading man can do.”

Not, he said, that he would take issue with a higher usage rate.

“Now, do you want to wake up and get 30 every night? I feel like individually anybody would, just because it’s a part of the game,” he added. “But, to me, being a leading man simply means win, no matter how that looks.

“Winning takes care of all the other things that people want to put a narrative behind.”

Ah, the narratives, such as how Adebayo has to shoot and convert more 3-pointers, an argument that again brings the leading-man debate back to scoring, even with Butler never above his 22.9 scoring average of ’22-23 during his five-year Heat tenure.

“For me, you can always find something to look at and be better at, as a captain, as the head of the snake,” said Adebayo, who assumed the Heat captaincy last season following the retirement of Udonis Haslem. “On the court, I’m always looking at improving everything. It’s not just one thing specifically.

“Obviously everybody’s going to point out the 3-point shooting. But for me, it’s like decision making, it’s being where you need to be able to make a play, read the game.”

Still, there were Adebayo 3-point moments of note during the Olympics. So, yes, such focus already is in place.

“Everybody is going to look at our 3-point shooting, and be, ‘Oh, that’s what you’ve worked on,’ ” he said. “Of course, I am. It’s due for development. Any great player wants to develop to be a three-level scorer. And that’s what I try to be.”

So, to recap: an offseason that began with a three-year, $166 million extension that will keep him under contract through 2028-29. Then earning the respect of the likes of James, Curry and Durant in Paris as a gold-medal equal.

And now, heightened expectations.

Including whether a new Heat leading-man era is about to follow in the franchise lineage of Alonzo Mourning, Tim Hardaway, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Butler.

“To me,” Adebayo said of the challenge, “a leading man means win.”