Rhona Wise-Imagn Images
Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo scored 83 points on Tuesday night, which set a record for the second highest single-game point total in NBA history. Despite the historic nature of the performance, though, it’s not being celebrated, but largely panned.
Bam Adebayo broke Kobe Bryant’s record for the second-most points scored in an NBA game, but the basketball world wasn’t exactly popping champagne. The circumstances surrounding the record ––the way both the Heat and Wizards played it out, the quality of the opponent, and Bam’s own performance — has made the moment more controversial than celebrated, though.
Adebayo shot 20-of-43 from the field (46%), 7-of-22 from three (31%), and got to the line 43 times. He was also accused of padding his stats well after the game was decided, with the Heat following the Wizards in the closing stages to get Adebayo the ball back.
Bam’s 83-point outing is being so widely blasted, in fact, that the All-Star power forward turned off the comments on the post he shared to commemorate the occasion.
Bam Adebayo turned the comments off on his 83-point performance post on Instagram presumably because of the criticism he was facing
Bam Adebayo turned off comments on his IG post about passing Kobe because everyone was calling him a Free Throw Merchant 😭😭😭
— Knicks Memes (@KnicksMemes) March 11, 2026
Adebayo is now behind only Wilt Chamberlain for the single-game NBA record, as Wilt famously scored 100 in a game. Kobe is in third with 81 points. In fourth is Chamberlain again with 78 points, and Luka Doncic tied with Chamberlain again in fifth place (73 points).