Wilt Chamberlain. Bam Adebeyo. Kobe Bryant.
To say that Bam Adebayo had a great game would be the understatement of the NBA season.
The Miami Heat star forward exploded for 83 points in a 150-129 win over the Washington Wizards. The scoring output was the second-highest-scoring game in NBA history behindWilt Chamberlain’s legendary 100-point performance in 1962. Adebayo passed Kobe Bryant, who scored 81 in 2006
In total, Adebayo went 20-of-43 from the field, 7-of-22 from 3-point range, and 36-of-43 at the free throw line. According to ESPN Research, Adebayo and Chamberlain are the only players in NBA history to make 20 field goals and 25 free throws in a single game.
Before the game, Adebayo’s season high was 32 points, and his career high was 41. By the time the first quarter ended, he outscored the entire Wizards team in the first quarter, 31-29.
After the game, Adebayo reflected on his enormous accomplishment and shared what he thought Bryant would think about his milestone.
“I wonder what he would say, to be 83 and pass him, my mind is like, what would he say to me? ‘Cause I always wanted to have a conversation with him … he would probably tell me to do it again,” Adebayo said. “Just a surreal moment to be in the company of somebody you idolized growing up.”
To reach the scoring mark, Adebayo had some assistance. Heat players purposely fouled the Wizards players to give him more opportunities to score in the fourth quarter.
“The last six minutes of the third quarter and the entire fourth quarter, I was a fan,” said Heat coach ErikSpoelstra. “This one came out of nowhere. This one snuck up on us. It snuck up on all of us. Once it kept on going, we knew we could be part of something special.”
“You’re caught up in the moment like everyone else,” Spoelstra continued. “And I didn’t want to get in the way. And I damn for sure wasn’t going to take him out.”
