LOS ANGELES.- With 83 points against the Washington Wizards on Tuesday, the center Bam Adebayoof the Miami Heatsigned a historic performance in the NBA. Little mentioned among the great superstars of the league, he was only behind the 100 points of Wilt Chamberlainalthough his feat generated mixed reactions.
Who is Bam Adebayo?
At 28 years old, Adebayo is playing in his ninth season in the NBA. After a university year with the Kentucky Wildcatswas selected 14th overall in the 2017 draft.
Chosen by the Heat, he has never left that franchise, with which he played two NBA Finals: the first in 2020 against the Los Angeles Lakers of LeBron James and the second in 2023 before the Denver Nuggets of Nikola Jokicboth untitled.
The 2.06 m center has been chosen three times for the All-Star Game (2020, 2023 and 2024) and was included once in the league’s defensive quintet (2024).
Born in New Jersey to a Nigerian father and an American mother, Edrice Femi Adebayo received the nickname “Bam” for his resemblance to the character from the animated series “The Flintstones.”
Formed by the prestigious Erik Spoelstrathe coach with the longest active tenure in the NBA at the head of the same team – he has led the Heat since 2008 -, Adebayo is recognized for his defense, although he also has a complete offensive arsenal, including a 33% accuracy rate in three-point shots.
Double Olympic champion with USA (2021 and 2024), Adebayo is married to the American A’ja Wilsonconsidered one of the best players in the world. Also a double Olympic champion, Wilson has won three WNBA titles with the Las Vegas Aces (2022, 2023 and 2025) and shares the record for points in a game in the North American women’s league (53).
Wilson participated in Tuesday’s post-match press conference with his partner. “Our conversations and our training motivate me, seeing what she is able to achieve inspires me every day,” Adebayo stated.
Why are his 83 points a surprise?
With 83 points against Washington, Adebayo reached the second highest score in an NBA game, only below Chamberlain’s 100 points in 1962 and surpassing Chamberlain’s 81. Kobe Bryant in 2006.
Adebayo, a center whose average is usually around 20 points per game, had scored a maximum of 20.4 in the 2022-2023 season and his previous best score was 41 points against Brooklyn in 2021, which puts the historical magnitude of his performance into perspective.
What did the NBA think about it?
With 36 points scored from the free throw line, Adebayo’s historic performance generated divided opinions among fans and NBA players, who debated the player’s profile, the opponent’s weakness and the distribution of his points.
“The first thing that comes to mind is how he got those points,” he commented sarcastically. Ime Udokacoach of the Houston Rockets. “I only saw six three-pointers, but close to 40 free throws… That says it all… Against the Wizards.”
For its part, Brian Keefecoach of the defeated Wizards, recognized Adebayo’s initial brilliance: “In the first period he shot incredibly well. Then they called a lot of fouls in his favor, 16 free throws in the fourth quarter, it wasn’t really a basketball game anymore.”
The praise from his teammates and rivals was immediate.
“It’s incredible, this shows how hard he works. No matter how the points are scored, in 10, 20 or 30 years nobody will remember the number of free throws,” he noted. Giannis AntetokounmpoMVP in 2019 and 2020.
For its part, Kevin Durant recognized the magnitude of the achievement: “I couldn’t believe it while watching it live. Congratulations to Bam, I know how hard he works. His stats are incredible, 36 free throws means he took a lot of hits, that takes a lot of energy.”
“Topping Kobe… congratulations, that’s a huge achievement that will be talked about for a long time.”
