Bam Adebayo’s Record Breaking 83 Point Game

When you think of players in the NBA who could score 80+ points to put them within range of Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 and Kobe Bryant’s 81, most would say Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Victor Wembanyama, Shai, or anyone else NBA fans will throw out. However, one player just eclipsed this milestone on March 10th, 2026.

It was a Tuesday night in Miami, where the short-handed Heat were playing against the not-so-good Washington Wizards. With both the 2nd and 3rd string centers out for the Heat, Bam Adebayo would have to log most of the center minutes. Many fans would consider Adebayo the best player on the Heat. A three-time all star in 2020, 2022, and 2023, he has been known for his great defensive presence and not really his offensive game. This game versus Washington was different. Out of the 40 points the Miami Heat had in the first quarter, Bam had 31. An astronomical number but he wasn’t done yet. He relied on the rest of the half and ended with 43 points, which was more than his career high in any game.

Naturally, for other such high scoring performances from players, the other team would make adjustments at half time, or the player would lose some of the heat from their shooting in the first half. We saw this with Karl-Anthony Towns when he scored 44 in a half against the Hornets when he was with the Timberwolves in January 2024. Towns only ended the game with 62 as he struggled late. Neither applied to Bam.

Bam continued his hot shooting from all over the court. The free throws, inside the arc, and outside, everything was dropping and Bam had another 19 in the third quarter, ending the quarter with 62 points. With the game still within 16 and the Heat not having a center, Adebayo went on little rest as he contributed another 21 points to break the record at the 1:16 mark, adding another two free throws to finish his game with 83 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals and 2 blocks. One of the greatest performances of all time and the second highest scoring tally from a player in an NBA game. 

So what records did Bam Adebayo break? Some headlines have Bam breaking Kobe’s 81 point record, but that doesn’t really count because Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 in a game. Despite this, Bam broke many records tonight. Most points by a Miami Heat player in a game, breaking Lebron’s 2014 tally of 61. He also broke the NBA record for most free throws made with 36 and attempted with 43.

In all, no one was expecting this, even with the certain factors that helped Bam like his 2nd and 3rd string centers being hurt and his two all-star teammates Tyler Herro and Norman Powell hurt for this game. What powered Bam to his 83 were his free throws. Bam shot 43, and the Wizards could not stop him in the paint. Free throws also stopped the clock which helped Bam get free points and more possessions to score later with the stoppages. To add along with the uber efficient three point and inside the arc shooting, it was bound to be a historical night.