Bam Adebayo erupted for a jaw-dropping 83 points - the second highest total in NBA history - as the Miami Heat thrashed the visiting Washington Wizards 150-129.
Adebayo surpassed the 81 points scored by Kobe Bryant for the Los Angeles Lakers against Toronto in 2006, and his output second only to Wilt Chamberlain’s iconic 100-point haul against the New York Knicks in 1962.
A hint of things to come came in an electric first quarter, where Adebayo poured in 31 points on 10-of-16 shooting. By half-time he had reached 43 points and he kept the pedal down after the interval with 19 points in the third quarter to take his tally to 62.
At that point it became a question of whether Adebayo could threaten Bryant’s tally of 81.
Two free throws in the fourth quarter saw him draw level with Bryant’s total, and two more took him to 83 with just over a minute remaining.
Adebayo was then subbed out, leaving the court to a standing ovation.
“Man I wish I could relive it twice,” Adebayo said, adding that the feat would not have been possible without his teammates. “I couldn’t do it without them. Somebody had to pass me the ball. I appreciate coach for drawing up plays for me and I got it going.”
Adebayo also took special satisfaction at surpassing his boyhood idol Bryant’s mark.
“It’s Wilt, me and then Kobe - that sounds crazy,” Adebayo said, adding that he had reflected on how Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash in Los Angeles in 2020, would have responded to his performance.
“He’d probably say ‘Do it again’. Just a surreal moment being in the company of somebody you idolized growing up.”
Coach Erik Spoelstra described Adebayo’s display as “just an absolutely surreal night.”
“We’ve been blessed to have been a part of a lot of big moments in this arena, and this one, it just happened,” Spoelstra said.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
