Bam Adebayo scored 83 points on Tuesday night to lead the Miami Heat to a 150–129 win over the Washington Wizards.
The performance pushed Adebayo past Kobe Bryant’s famous 81-point game, making him the second-highest scorer in a single NBA game. Only Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point record from 1962 remains higher.
Adebayo started fast with 31 points in the first quarter, a new single-period record for Miami. He had 43 points by halftime and finished the third quarter with 62 as the Heat pulled away.
He ended the game shooting 20-for-43 from the field and 7-for-22 from three-point range.
Much of the scoring came at the free-throw line. Adebayo made 36 of 43 free throws, setting new NBA records for both attempts and makes. The previous attempts record of 39 was held by Dwight Howard, while the previous mark of 28 made free throws was shared by Chamberlain and Adrian Dantley.
Washington tried to slow him down by repeatedly fouling late in the game. Instead, Adebayo kept scoring from the line and passed Bryant with two free throws with 1:16 left.
“It’s a special moment,” Adebayo said. “It’s Wilt, me, then Kobe, which sounds crazy.”
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He also recorded nine rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks in 42 minutes.
Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said the team realised they were watching history.
“The last six minutes of the third quarter and the entire fourth quarter I was a fan,” Spoelstra said. “This one came out of nowhere. Once it kept going, we knew we could be part of something special.”
Adebayo said surpassing Bryant, one of his childhood idols, made the night even more meaningful.
“I wonder what he would say,” he said. “I always wanted to have a conversation with him. He would probably tell me to do it again.”
The performance also broke Miami’s previous franchise scoring record of 61 points set by LeBron James in 2014.
Simone Fontecchio added 18 points for Miami, while Alex Sarr led Washington with 28 points.
For Adebayo, known more for defense during his career, the night placed him among the most memorable scoring performances in NBA history.