Published March 30, 2026
On Tuesday, March 10th, one of the NBA’s most prolific single-scoring records was broken, and it wasn’t Wilt’s 100-point game. Kobe Bryant’s iconic and once seemingly insurmountable 81-point game was officially eclipsed by an 83-point performance from Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo. Coming off a 150-129 win for the Heat, Bam was met by mixed reactions from players, coaches, and some analysts. These reactions were prompted by both the final box and the point total itself. Having shot 20 of 43 from the field, along with 7 of 22 shooting from three, it was far from what would be considered efficient. However, what caused some to feel a way about the performance came down to a couple factors such as Bam taking 43 total free throws, the caliber of the opposing team that was the Washington Wizards who sit at 14th in the eastern conference while also sitting at the bottom of defensive rating among the 29 other teams across the league, and how long Bam was left in the game while it was seemingly concluded.
For comparison of these two scoring performances, in Kobe’s 81-point game, he took 46 shots, which was three more than Bam. Kobe shot 18 for 20 from the free-throw line while Bam shot 36 for 43. Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka criticized Bam’s performance in an interview saying, “I saw he only made [seven] 3s but 40 free throws or something like that — tells the story right there,” “And the Washington Wizards” in a different interview, Giannis Antetokounmpo came from a more understanding viewpoint, “It doesn’t matter how you got there. All that matters is you got it” he went and added on, “Like in 10, 20, 30 years from now, no one is going to remember how many free throws he shot. I don’t think I remember how many shots Kobe shot, or how many free throws he made, or how many 3s. All you remember is 81.” The thought of Bam getting close to Kobe’s record was beginning to come into focus as he had 63 going into the fourth, but the Heat were up 16 going into that fourth quarter, Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra came out after the game concluded and stated, “I didn’t dare even think about taking him out” and added “Once he got to 40, I didn’t go anywhere near him … who knew I would be superstitious?” That same night, the Crypto.com Arena, home to the Los Angeles Lakers, announced that Kobe’s record was broken, which was met by a loud crowd of boos.
Regardless of the outcome and how this milestone was achieved, Bam Adebayo broke three records on that Tuesday night. First was the obvious: Kobe’s 81-point game. Second was the Miami Heat franchise record for points in a game by a single player. This record was previously held by LeBron James’ 61 points against the Charlotte Bobcats (now the Charlotte Hornets). The third record that was broken was the most free throws made (36) and attempted (43) in a single game. What was left was how Bam felt about the performance himself. After the game, during an interview with ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt, Bam said, “That was my idol growing up. I watched how he approached the game … with that laser focus,” also adding, “I wonder what he would say to me at this point. He’d probably tell me to do it again.”
