Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo made NBA history on March 10. He went on an absolute heater in the Heat’s 150–129 win over the Washington Wizards. He put up 83 points in the contest, the second-most points scored by a single player in a single game, as well as a Heat franchise record.
Adebayo reflected on the opportunity to be counted among the game’s best, and to do it in front of the people who matter most to him.
“It’s a special moment,” Adebayo said at his postgame press conference. “Wilt [Chamberlain], me, then Kobe [Bryant], which sounds crazy.”
Adebayo had 31 points in the first quarter alone, 43 by halftime, and 62 by the end of the third quarter. His final stat line was 83 points in 42 minutes: he went 20 of 43 from the field, 7 of 22 from three-point range, and 36 of 43 from the free throw line. Nor was it a purely offensive affair: He added 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.
Besides being the second-best individual effort in the history of the league, Adebayo also shattered the Heat franchise record for individual scoring—LeBron James’s 62-point outing against the Charlotte Bobcats in 2014. He also broke the league record for free throw attempts, previously set by Dwight Howard with 39. Adebayo’s performance also usurped the late Kobe Bryant’s 81-point performance against the Toronto Raptors in 2006.
A reporter asked Adebayo what it meant to be in such elite company.
“To me, it’s wondering what he would say,” he responded. “Obviously, you’ve seen 60, 70, but to be 83 and you pass him, in my mind, it’s like, what would he say to me? I’ve always wanted to have a conversation with him. He would probably say to me, ‘Do it again.’ But just a surreal moment being in the company of someone you idolized growing up.”
Adebayo, who has previously blasted “stat watchers” for devaluing performance on the floor, said he became aware of the opportunity to make history when he saw his stat line at the half.
His teammates were excited for him, but he reminded himself to remain locked in to the game, and his efforts began to coalesce midway through the fourth quarter. For the vast majority of the game, the Wizards refused to double-team him and essentially let him score at will, but midway through the final frame, the defense began guarding him with as many as four men at once.
He said he did not expect to hit 83, and he recognized how special the moment was.
“To be able to do it at home, in front of my mom, in front of my people, in front of the home fans, this is a mark in history that will forever be remembered,” he said.
One of those people is Adebayo’s girlfriend, WNBA superstar A'ja Wilson. Wilson owns the WNBA record for points in a game with 53, set in 2023. Wilson was not in attendance when Adebayo scored his 10,000th career point last week, so he said to make history in her first game back was a “special moment” for them both. Adebayo also expressed his gratitude to Wilson for her emotional and physical support.
“The behind-the-scenes, the workouts and the conversations, they’re very motivating,” he said of Wilson, seated beside him at the podium. “Obviously, you see what she does, and you get inspired every day by that. So I’m thankful to have her in my life.”
Wilson was deferential about the influence she had on him, saying that he inspires her and that she wants to show up and be present for him.
Edrice Femi Adebayo was drafted by the Heat out of Kentucky with the 14th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. He has spent his entire career with the team. He is a 3-time All-Star and was named to the NBA’s All-Defensive First Team in 2024 and to the Second Team 4 times from 2020 to 2023.
