I love Kobe Bryant, but framing Bam Adebayo’s 83-point game against the Washington Wizards last week as unethical and everything that’s currently wrong with the Association is utter stupidity.
When did aiming for greatness become a crime?
And it’s as if the Black Mamba’s hallowed 81-point game against Jalen Rose and the hapless Toronto Raptors suddenly became the gold standard for scoring.
That honor still belongs to Wilt Chamberlain and his mythical 100-point performance for the Philadelphia Warriors on March 2, 1962 against the New York Knicks.
That game, played at Hersheypark Arena in Hershey, Pennsylvania, wasn’t televised, and no video footage of the game has ever surfaced — only an audio recording of the fourth quarter remains.
Now comes Adebayo.
The 6’9” center of the Miami Heat was on an all-time heater—no pun intended—as he poured in 31 points in the opening canto against former No. 2 overall pick Alex Sarr.
For a brief stretch the two were actually trading baskets, point for point. Then Sarr stopped scoring.
Adebayo did not.
To be fair, he didn’t have much of a choice. Our kababayan, Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra, was missing four of his top six scorers—Norman Powell, Tyler Herro, Andrew Wiggins and Kel'el Ware.
Against a Wizards squad that might as well have been the Washington Generals that night, methinks someone had to score.
Adebayo rested briefly in the second stanza, logging just seven minutes, but still managed another 12 points to bring his halftime total to 43—already eclipsing his previous career high of 41.
By the third quarter, it was another Heat record that was about to fall—the franchise-best 61 points once scored by LeBron James.
Adebayo emptied the clip with a 19-point quarter to enter the fourth and final canto with 62.
And I don’t know about you, but when you’re already in the rarified air occupied by Wilt and Kobe, all bets are off. At that point, you go for history.
Or in this case, second place in the all-time scoring list.
Things admittedly turned a bit comical down the stretch.
The Wizards—or Generals, take your pick—began fouling other Heat players and triple- or even quadruple-teaming Adebayo to prevent him from breaking Bryant’s 81. Miami responded by fouling Washington just to regain possession, and they eventually succeeded with Adebayo making two free throws to score 83, before being subbed out by Spo.
Yet for all the theatrics, 83 points is still 83 points.
Critics also pointed to the free throws. Adebayo attempted 43 and converted 36, both single-game NBA records.
But if Wizards coach Brian Keefe truly wanted to prevent history, perhaps the triple teams should have started earlier—like after the first quarter when Adebayo had already dropped 31.
Get a life, Heat haters.
Even former sharpshooter turned broadcaster Reggie Miller saw through the noise.
“I don’t care if it’s your local church league,” Miller said. “You get a chance to go for history, you go for it. Celebrate Bam. Don’t look at the final five minutes and ignore the first 40… because those first 40 were one of the most remarkable performances we’ve ever seen.”
Another ex-NBA player now behind the microphone, Richard Jefferson, was even more blunt.
“I’m so tired of all these podcasters and guys who never played the game talking about ‘they ruined basketball.’ I do not care. Eighty-three is 83. If you’re mad, your anger is misdirected. It should be toward Washington.”
What makes the performance even more remarkable is that Adebayo was never known as a prolific scorer.
When Miami drafted him in 2017, he was viewed primarily as a defensive anchor—a player who had to pay his dues coming off the bench before eventually supplanting Hassan Whiteside in the starting lineup.
His scoring journey actually tells the story of steady evolution.
As a junior at Northside High School in Pinetown, North Carolina, Adebayo averaged a monstrous 32.2 points per game. By his senior year at High Point Christian Academy, that number dipped to 18.9 as he focused more on rebounding and defense.
At University of Kentucky, he averaged 13 points per game during his lone freshman season.
Then came the NBA.
Adebayo started modestly—just 6.9 points per game as a rookie in 2017-18. The following season he improved to 8.9, before making his leap to stardom with 15.9 points per game and his first All-Star selection in 2019-20.
Since then, his offensive game has steadily expanded.
He averaged 18.7 points in 2020-21, 19.1 the following season, and broke the 20-point mark in 2022-23. Even in seasons where he emphasized playmaking and defense, his production never dipped far below that threshold.
Entering this year, Adebayo was averaging around 20 points per game—impressive for a player better known for rebounding, passing, and anchoring Miami’s defense.
Which is why the 83-point explosion wasn’t just historic. It was the culmination of nearly a decade of quiet improvement.
So no, this wasn’t a gimmick. It wasn’t bad sportsmanship. It was a basketball player seizing a once-in-a-lifetime moment—with the help of Spo and teammates.
And when history calls, you answer. Even if it means leaving Kobe—and a whole lot of critics—in the rearview mirror.
The Black Mamba—one of the most competitive hoopers this side of Michael Jordan—would’ve been proud.