Bam Adebayo's 83-point night was one to remember. But not everyone was pleased

## Summary
But not everyone was pleased March 12, 2026 1:48 AM ET By The Associated Press Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) is congratulated by forward Keshad Johnson (16) after reaching 83 points, the second-highest single game total in NBA history, in the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Washington Wizards, Tuesday, March 10, 2026, in Miami. Bruh shot 43 foul shots," former Heat point guard Jason Williams said in a video posted to social media. "I don't know if I shot 43 foul shots in one season." (Williams, for the record, attempted only 41 free throws in his final two NBA seasons combined.) Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) shoots a free throw to reach 83 points, the second-highest single game total in NBA history, in the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Washington Wizards, Tuesday, March 10, 2026, in Miami. It's not terribly uncommon; when a guy really has it going, his teammates just keep giving him the ball. "We left him in," then-Lakers coach Phil Jackson said that night, "until he got to 80." When Adebayo's game went final, not everyone seemed thrilled by the point total. "A rather melancholy footnote in NBA history occurred," the legendary Lakers public address announcer Lawrence Tanter said to the crowd before a game in Los Angeles, as he revealed that Adebayo had passed Bryant. At the end of the day, he got 83 points." Miami Heat teammates celebrate center Bam Adebayo, right, after he scored 83 points, the second-highest single game total in NBA history, in an NBA basketball game against the Washington Wizards, Tuesday, March 10, 2026, in Miami.

## Article Content
Sports
Bam Adebayo's 83-point night was one to remember. But not everyone was pleased
March 12, 2026
1:48 AM ET
By
The Associated Press
Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) is congratulated by forward Keshad Johnson (16) after reaching 83 points, the second-highest single game total in NBA history, in the second half of 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 — The Miami Heat led the Washington Wizards by 25 points with 2:56 left. The game was essentially over, the outcome decided. And Bam Adebayo got called for an offensive foul that, under normal circumstances, would not have mattered.
These were not normal circumstances.
Adebayo already had 77 points on Tuesday night and the Heat wanted more. So, coach Erik Spoelstra emphatically challenged that offensive foul call. Every Heat player, assistant coach and staffer jumped off the bench, celebrating that decision. The challenge failed — refs got the call right — but it was clear what the moment meant to Miami.
Adebayo wound up scoring 83 points. It was the second-highest total by any player in any game in NBA history, passing Kobe Bryant's 81 and trailing only Wilt Chamberlain's 100.
"The thing you love about it, and why everybody roots for Bam, is because he does all the winning things," Spoelstra said. "He does the things that aren't recognized. He puts his body out there, he's available, he is a rugged competitor."
The Heat, who won 150-129, obviously loved it. Not everybody did.
There were immediate detractors who pointed to Adebayo's absurd, one-of-a-kind stat line — 43 field goal attempts, 22 3-point attempts and, most of all, NBA records of 36 free throws and 43 attempts — as proof of stat-padding. Some even went as far as to question the integrity of the game, though to be fair, many also celebrated Adebayo's night.
"Look, bruh had 83 points. Bruh shot 43 foul shots," former Heat point guard Jason Williams said in a video posted to social media. "I don't know if I shot 43 foul shots in one season." (Williams, for the record, attempted only 41 free throws in his final two NBA seasons combined.)
Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) shoots a free throw to reach 83 points, the second-highest single game total in NBA history, in the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Washington Wizards, Tuesday, March 10, 2026, in Miami.
Rebecca Blackwell/AP
hide caption
toggle caption
Rebecca Blackwell/AP
A crazy finish
There were at least four instances of Heat players fouling down the stretch, with a big lead, to extend the game and get Adebayo the ball back. That's also what the Philadelphia Warriors did in the final moments against the New York Knicks on March 2, 1962 — the night Chamberlain scored 100.
"We had three guys collapsing around him to keep him from getting close to the basket, but he took us with him with his tremendous strength," the Knicks' Darrall Imhoff said that night, as quoted by The Evening News of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. "Late in the game, the Warriors fouled us deliberately to regain possession and that guy really tore down the floor to keep his record assault going."
Sounds familiar.
The Wizards threw double-, triple- and sometimes quadruple-teams at Adebayo in the final minutes. They fouled Heat players just to keep Adebayo from scoring, though they saved most of their fouls for Adebayo himself. He was fouled 26 times — the most any player has been fouled in at least the last 20 seasons, and 12 times more than he had ever been fouled.
"The fourth quarter just turned into not a real basketball game," Wizards coach Brian Keefe said.
Adebayo had 31 points in the first quarter, 12 in the second quarter and 19 in the third. He had 62 points going into the fourth. The Wizards couldn't stop him, no matter what they tried.
"The whole first 3 1/2 quarters ... I was like, all right, they're just going to let me go," Adebayo said. "And then, you turn around and you've got four people guarding you."
Everything the Heat did in the fourth quarter was about getting Adebayo points.
Bryant's 81-point game wasn't different in that regard.
Parallels to other big nights
On Jan. 22, 2006, the Los Angeles Lakers took 38 shots in the second half and Bryant took 28 of them. They took 17 shots in the fourth that night; Bryant took 13 of those, including all 13 of the Lakers' free-throw attempts in the final 12 minutes. It's not terribly uncommon; when a guy really has it going, his teammates just keep giving him the ball.
"We left him in," then-Lakers coach Phil Jackson said that night, "until he got to 80."
When Adebayo's game went final, not everyone seemed thrilled by the point total.
"A rather melancholy footnote in NBA history occurred," the legendary Lakers public address announcer Lawrence Tanter said to the crowd before a game in Los Angeles, as he revealed that Adebayo had passed Bryant. A few people booed.
Houston guard K

---

## Expert Analysis

### Merits
N/A

### Areas for Consideration
- The challenge failed — refs got the call right — but it was clear what the moment meant to Miami.

### Implications
- Rebecca Blackwell/AP hide caption toggle caption Rebecca Blackwell/AP A crazy finish There were at least four instances of Heat players fouling down the stretch, with a big lead, to extend the game and get Adebayo the ball back.

### Expert Commentary
This article covers adebayo, game, points topics. Areas of concern are also raised. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 1336.