Bam! Heat’s Adebayo scores 83 points, 2nd only to Wilt Chamberlain in NBA history : NPR
Miami Heat teammates celebrate center Bam Adebayo (13) after scoring 83 points, the second-highest total in NBA history, during an NBA basketball game against the Washington Wizards, Tuesday, March 10, 2026, in Miami.
Rebecca Blackwell/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Rebecca Blackwell/AP
MIAMI — It’s Wilt, then Bam.
Bam Adebayo had a night to remember on Tuesday, with his point total second only to Wilt Chamberlain in the NBA record books. Adebayo scored 83 points, setting league records for free throws made and attempted in a game for the Miami Heat in a 150-129 victory over the Washington Wizards.
“Absolutely surreal night,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “Obviously, we’ve been fortunate to be a part of a lot of great moments in this arena. This one, it just happened. Moments happen and I’m grateful that we all get to be a part of it and witness it.”
Chamberlain’s 100-point record has stood since 1962. Kobe Bryant – one of Adebayo’s basketball heroes – was No. 2 on the list with 81. Adebayo never thought he would be on this club.
And then came a night he would never forget.
“Wilt, me, then Kobe,” Adebayo said. “That sounds crazy.”
Adebayo’s final numbers: 20 of 43 from the field, 36 of 43 from the foul line, 7 of 22 from 3-point range.
He was in tears as he hugged his mother, Marilyn Blount, before leaving the field after the game. Until then, emotions had remained under control.
“For me it was just about staying calm, staying locked in and understanding that I can aim for something special,” Adebayo said. “I didn’t think it was going to be 83. But to experience this moment is surreal, because like I said, man, to be able to do it at home, in front of my mom, in front of my people, in front of the home fans, it’s a mark in history that we’ll remember forever.”
Adebayo’s career high, before Monday, was 41.
It was passed at halftime.
“I looked at the stat sheet. It was pretty crazy: 40 shots, 40 free throws, 20 3s, that takes a lot of stamina, man,” said Houston star and Adebayo’s USA Basketball teammate Kevin Durant. “It takes a lot of energy to go out there and throw those shots and also make them, set a record, surpass Kobe as the second highest scoring player in the history of the game. I mean, damn. Congratulations to him. Huge, huge accomplishment, something we’re going to talk about forever.”
Adebayo opened with a 31-point first quarter and never stopped rolling. It was 43 at halftime, 62 at the end of the third quarter. And then came the fourth, where the milestones continued to drop despite a double, triple and what once seemed like a quadruple team from a Wizards defense that kept sending it to the foul line.
“BAM BAM BAM,” former Heat forward LeBron James posted on social media. James held the Heat’s single-game record of 61 points, set on March 3, 2014. He is now No. 2 on the team’s roster — by a wide margin.
The previous NBA high this season was 56, made by Nikola Jokic for Denver against Minnesota on Christmas Eve. The last player to score 62 points in three quarters was Bryant, who had exactly that many before the fourth quarter for the Los Angeles Lakers against Dallas on December 20, 2005.
Adebayo reached the line 16 times in the fourth and the match had some comical moments. The Heat made it clear they still want Adebayo to get the ball and get to the line, even in a blowout. The Wizards tried to foul others, but couldn’t stop the scoring attack.
“You have to give him credit,” Wizards coach Brian Keefe said. “In the first half, he shot the ball really well, he scored really well. Obviously he came out and had a little bit in the third as well. They obviously kept him in the game, and there were a lot of fouls – 16 free throws in the fourth quarter. I was trying to get the ball out of his hands, he still made a couple free throws 40 feet from the rim. I can’t explain some of those calls. That’s all that I have to say about this.”
And Adebayo only needed the first half to set a career high as well.
Adebayo’s 31 points in the first quarter broke the Heat’s record for points in any quarter — and tied the team’s record for points in the first half before the second quarter even started.
He finished the first half with 43 points, a team high for any half and two points better than his previous career high – for a full game, that is – set on January 23, 2021 against Brooklyn.
Adebayo’s season high Tuesday was 32. He tied that with a free throw with 5:53 left in the second quarter, breaking the Heat’s first-half scoring record.
He had just started.
“I would say once he hits 50, we’ll think, okay, maybe he can make it to 60,” Spoelstra said.
He got to 60, at the end of the third.
“And when he got to 60, it continued,” Spoelstra said. “Might as well go for 70.”
He arrived at 70 years old,
“And then, I didn’t even dare think about eliminating him at that point,” Spoelstra said. “We just kept going.”
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 Wizards after the final buzzer. Adebayo walked over to Heat managing partner Micky Arison to congratulate them, before finally heading to the locker room.
Everyone wanted his jersey, which he kept. The game ball was secure. The nets were cut as souvenirs. A’ja Wilson, Adebayo’s longtime girlfriend and four-time WNBA MVP, could barely stop crying.
“I know he says I’m his inspiration,” Wilson said. “But I don’t think he has any idea how much he inspires me to continue to be the person I am.”
Finally, Adebayo headed to the parking lot, exhausted. He never had the opportunity to meet Bryant, who died in 2020, and often wonders what it would be like to have him as a confidant. He had the same thoughts Tuesday, after surpassing Bryant’s 81.
“It’s just a surreal moment,” Adebayo said, “being in the company of someone I idolized growing up.”
