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Multiple NBA coaches have reacted to Bam Adebayo’s record-setting 83-point performance with comments that could be considered faint praise at best and outright shade at worst. Adebayo’s 83-point outing has become a source of controversy, not celebration, among NBA fans.
In his 83-point performance against the lowly Washington Wizards on Tuesday, March 10, Miami Heat All-Star power forward Bam Adebayo shot 20-of-43 from the field (46%), 7-of-22 from three (31%), and put up 43 free throw attempts. Additionally, in the latter stages of the game, with the result of the game already long determined, the Heat were fouling the Wizards in order to get the ball back to Bam to put up more shots.
Following the record-setting night, most NBA fans found Adebayo’s efforts to be “disgusting” and “shameless.” And while a few NBA coaches haven’t gone that far with their language, they also haven’t showered the performance with praise, either.
NBA coaches have weighed in on Bam Adebayo’s 83-point performance and have largely dismissed its merits
JJ Reddick on Bam 83:
“I walked in and said to my staff ‘the Heat are rolling.’ They said ‘are you kidding right now? Bam has 77!’ I watched the last 3 minutes and that was uh, different type of basketball” pic.twitter.com/bc6wUX06Of
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) March 11, 2026
“It’s incredible what he was able to do. I walked in and I saw the score, and he [Bam] was at the free-throw line, and I saw the score, and they’ve been playing great basketball lately,” Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick told reporters.
“I said to my coaching staff, ‘oh, they’re rolling.’ They all kind of looked at each other, and they’re like, ‘are you kidding right now?’ “And I’m like, ‘no, what’s up?’. . .They’re like, ‘Bam has 77.’ And then I watched the last three minutes, and that was a different type of basketball.”
Ime Udoka on Bam Adebayo’s 83 point night:
“First thing you think is how…… not because of him but because of the way he plays. I saw he only made 6 threes but 40 free throws or something like that, tells the story right there and………….. the Washington Wizards.” pic.twitter.com/PScqMKHBPv
— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod 🇸🇴 (@big_business_) March 11, 2026
“First thing you think is ‘how?’ — not because of him, but because of the way he plays,” Houston Rockets boss Ime Udoka said. “And I saw he only made six threes but 40 free throws or something like that? Tells the story right there … and the Washington Wizards.”
Bam’s 83 points is now second-most in a single game in NBA history behind only Wilt Chamberlain’s famed 100-point game. The late Kobe Bryant now sits in third with 81 points.