Bam Adebayo scored 83 points on a historic night for the Miami Heat.
It’s only behind Wilt Chamberlain’s 100: Miami Heat center had a dream night with the second best score in NBA history. But he hasn’t stopped hearing that his record is “disgusting” and a “joke”.
Bam Adebayo made the history of the North American Basketball League (NBA) on Tuesday, for achieving the second best score ever in a matchjust behind Wilt Chamberlain’s historic 100 points.
The Miami Heat goalpost reached 83 points in the triumph over the Washington Wizards (150-129), surpassing the previous second best mark, which belonged to Kobe Bryant, who scored 81 points for the Los Angeles Lakers on January 22, 2006, against the Toronto Raptors.
“It’s a special moment. It’s Wilt, me, and then Kobe, which it seems crazy”, admitted Adebayo.
Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 points for the Philadelphia Warriors on March 2, 1962 are still a long way off, with the fourth best score being Wilt’s again, with 78.
In fifth place is Luka Doncic, with 73 points, for the Dallas Mavericks. But Wilt Chamberlain also scored 73 twice, in the same year (1962) and David Thompson in 1978.
Record (and controversy) for free throws
Adebayo’s previous best score was practically half – 41 points, which this Tuesday he had already surpassed at half-time, with 43, making 20 of the 43 field goals attempted and 36 of an incredible 43 free throws – numbers never seen before in the NBA and which do not escape the most critical.
In 41 minutes and 54 seconds, Bam Adebayo threw 43 times and made 20 hits (46.5%). Made seven triples in 22 attempts (31.8%). The rest of the points? Free throws (36 out of 43), after a foul by the opposing team. The late Kobe Bryant, on the night of his 81 points, had made just 18 of 20 free throws. And that’s what was worth it lots of criticism to the 28-year-old center and the NBA.
Against one of the worst teams in the NBA and feeling that history could be written, the Heat players did everything they could to help Adebayo, making the entire game to the post and committing fouls at the beginning of the Wizards’ playsso that the Miami team could have more attacking time.
Attempts to make Adebayo the centerpiece of the Heat’s offense angered some NBA commentators, who accused the team of manipulating the outcome.
“83 is 83, but it really was disgusting do it this way,” he wrote on X Trevor Lane. “Congratulations to Bam on 83*!! But it needs an asterisk,” wrote Rick Kamla.
“The NBA is officially a circus. What other professional league does this? Commit a foul on the Wizards to save the clock with a 20-point lead and inflate Bam’s score”, says Jacobtheclipper on X.
The Heat’s second highest scorer of the night was substitute Simone Fontecchio, with 18 points, with Alex Sarr scoring 28 for the Wizards in just 19:40, after saving tissue in the last period.
The previous record for free throws attempted was held by center Dwight Howard (39), who reached that number twice in his career. The record for free throws made in a game was 28, set by Wilt Chamberlain and Adrian Dantley, according to .
Here’s a summary of Bam Adebayo’s historic night:
