Miami Heat captain Bam Adebayo is squaring off against the man who used to wear that title, Udonis Haslem, in a one-hour push-up showdown at Anatomy Fitness on Lincoln Road. The eighth annual Anatomy Hour Push-Up Challenge is set for 10 a.m. on October 11 at 1111 Lincoln Road in Miami Beach, with community members able to pledge support to either Team Udonis or Team Bam as the two Heat figures try to out-rep one another for a good cause.
The event, first reported by Miami New Times, challenges participants to complete as many push-ups as possible within the hour, with donations tied to pledges based on how many push-ups each entrant finishes. Haslem, a former Heat captain who has taken part in the challenge since 2021, is the one who enlisted his former teammate and mentee for this round. Haslem said the goal this year is to increase push-ups completed, money raised, and community impact, according to the same report.
Adebayo, now the Heat's current captain, said agreeing to join was an easy yes once he got the call, per the report. He plans to compete against Haslem directly in the push-up count, and Anatomy Fitness has welcomed both Adebayo and his Bam, Books and Brotherhood Foundation into the event alongside Haslem's own foundation.
A Fundraiser Built on Friendly Rivalry
The push-up challenge has raised more than $715,000 for charities across South Florida since 2019, according to Miami New Times. This year's edition pits Haslem's fundraising efforts for the Udonis Haslem Foundation against Adebayo's push for his Bam, Books and Brotherhood Foundation, with community members able to sign up for the challenge or donate through go.rallyup.com.
The mentor-mentee dynamic driving this year's matchup traces back more than a decade inside the Heat organization. Haslem served 16 seasons as Heat team captain before retiring in 2023 after 20 seasons and three NBA championships, at which point he was appointed Vice President of Basketball Development for the franchise, according to Crypto Bahamas. Adebayo succeeded him as the locker room's leader, a transition Hoodline covered when the Heat retired Haslem's jersey in an emotional January 2024 ceremony.
Two Foundations, Two Decades of Community Work
Haslem founded his charity in 2005, and it marked its 20th anniversary in October 2025 with an ongoing focus on mental health initiatives, STEM education, youth development, and affordable housing across Miami, according to the Udonis Haslem Foundation. The organization was originally created as the Udonis Haslem Children's Foundation before expanding its scope in 2022.
Adebayo established the Bam, Books and Brotherhood Foundation in 2021 to support single-parent households, improve youth literacy, and expand educational access throughout South Florida, according to the Miami Book Fair. Adebayo was raised by a single mother in North Carolina before reaching the NBA. In May, his foundation's work earned him the NBA Social Justice Champion award and the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar trophy, which came with a $100,000 league grant, as reported by Lemon City Live. The foundation invested more than $550,000 into South Florida youth and family programs during the 2025-2026 season, per that same report.
A History of Six-Figure Single-Day Totals
Anatomy Fitness, the luxury sports science and recovery gym chain co-founded by trainer Marc Megna and entrepreneur Chris Paciello, has hosted the challenge across its Miami-area locations, which include Miami Beach, Coconut Grove, Midtown, Aventura, Doral, and South Beach. Earlier editions of the challenge benefited Make-A-Wish Southern Florida, which was already the primary beneficiary as far back as the fourth annual event in 2019.
Past events have drawn heavy hitters beyond the Heat roster. Miami Heat Head Coach Erik Spoelstra and Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava both completed push-ups for pledges at the December 2021 event held at Anatomy Coconut Grove. That single day of fundraising topped $200,000, anchored by a $10,000 pledge tied to Haslem completing 10 push-ups and a matching $10,000 contribution from the Miami HEAT Charitable Fund, with more than 100 participants taking part over the one-hour window.
Adebayo's hands-on charity work with fitness has surfaced before, including in October 2023, when his foundation opened a new fitness center and basketball court for homeless families at Chapman Partnership in Homestead, according to Local 10 News. The event will feature Haslem and Adebayo competing on their push-up counts.
Setting the Scene on Lincoln Road
The challenge unfolds at 1111 Lincoln Road as the fundraiser enters its eighth year.
The Adebayo-Haslem matchup follows a stretch of hands-on community philanthropy from the Heat captain.
