Bam passes Kobe for 2nd-most points in a game in NBA history with 83 (1:02)Bam Adebayo hits two free throws to get to 83 points and pass Kobe Bryant for second-most points in an NBA game. (1:02)
ESPN News ServicesMultiple AuthorsMar 10, 2026, 10:09 PM ET
Bam Adebayo had a night for all time on Tuesday, with a point total second to only Wilt Chamberlain in the NBA record books. Adebayo scored 83 points, setting league marks for free throws made and attempted in a game in the Miami Heat’s 150-129 win over the Washington Wizards.
“An absolutely surreal night,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “Obviously, we’ve been blessed to have been part of a lot of big moments in this arena. This one, it just happened. Moments happen and I’m grateful that we’re all able to be a part of it and witness it.”
Chamberlain once scored 100 points, a record that has stood since 1962. Kobe Bryant — one of Adebayo’s basketball heroes — was No. 2 on the list with 81. Adebayo never thought he’d be in that club.
Adebayo’s final numbers: 20-of-43 from the field, 36-of-43 from the foul line, 7-for-22 from 3-point range. It was a stat line unlike any other in NBA history.
He was in tears as he hugged his mother, Marilyn Blount, before leaving the floor after the game. Emotions were kept in check until then.
“BAM BAM BAM,” former Heat forward LeBron James posted on social media. James had the Heat single-game record of 61 points, set on March 3, 2014. He’s now No. 2 on the team list — by a wide margin.
Adebayo got off to a fast start, scoring 31 points in the opening quarter and 43 at the half behind some hot shooting beyond the arc. He got up to 62 points in the third quarter before cooling off somewhat, shooting under 37% from the field in the second half. He became the only player to score 70 points while shooting below 50% from the field.
Despite the shooting struggles, Adebayo was able to get to the free throw line at will against a 29th-ranked Wizards defense that was desperate to not let history be made. The fourth quarter featured some comical moments, with the Heat making it clear they wanted Adebayo to get the ball and get to the line with Miami in the bonus, and the Wizards trying to foul others to halt the scoring barrage.
With Adebayo nearing Bryant’s 81-point mark, the Heat even began intentionally fouling the Wizards while on defense to preserve time.
“You’ve got to give him credit,” Wizards coach Brian Keefe said. “In the first half he shot the ball terrific, he scored the ball really well. Obviously, he came out and had a little bit in the third, too. They obviously kept him in the game, and there was a lot of fouls called — 16 free throws in the fourth quarter. I was trying to take the ball out of his hands. He still got some free throws 40 feet from the rim. I can’t explain some of those calls. That’s all I got to say on that.”
Adebayo entered the game with a career high of 41 set Jan. 23, 2021, against Brooklyn. His season high was 32.
“I would say once he got to 50, then we’re thinking, all right, maybe he can get to 60,” Spoelstra said.
When Spoelstra finally declared Adebayo’s night over, he was waiting to greet the center with a big hug. Teammates did the same, as did some of the Wizards after the final buzzer. Adebayo made his way over to Heat managing general partner Micky Arison for congratulations before eventually getting to the locker room.
Everyone wanted his jersey, which he kept. The game ball was secured. The nets were cut down as souvenirs. A’ja Wilson, Adebayo’s longtime girlfriend and the four-time WNBA MVP, could barely keep from crying.
“I know he says that I’m his inspiration,” Wilson said. “But I don’t think he has a clue how much he inspires me to continue to be the person that I am.”
Finally, Adebayo made his way to the parking garage, exhausted. He never had an opportunity to meet Bryant, who died in 2020, and often wonders what it would be like to have him as a confidant. He had those same thoughts Tuesday, after topping Bryant’s 81.
Bam passes Kobe for 2nd-most points in a game in NBA history with 83 (1:02)Bam Adebayo hits two free throws to get to 83 points and pass Kobe Bryant for second-most points in an NBA game. (1:02)
Bam Adebayo hits two free throws to get to 83 points and pass Kobe Bryant for second-most points in an NBA game. (1:02)
“And when he got to 60, it just kept on going,” Spoelstra said. “We might as well go for 70.”
“Just a surreal moment,” Adebayo said, “being in the company with somebody I idolized growing up.”
“Wilt, me, then Kobe,” Adebayo said. “It sounds crazy.”