Bam Adebayo achieved a scorching hot scoring performance in the NBA on Tuesday night, going off for 83 points in the Miami Heat‘s 150-129 win over the Washington Wizards. He first passed NBA superstar LeBron James, who held single-quarter and single-game scoring records from his Heat playing days.
Bam’s outburst on offense marked the second-most points scored in an NBA game, surpassing legendary Kobe Bryant‘s 81-point performance. It only trailed the late, great Wilt Chamberlain’s previous performance, where he scored 100 in a game.
That led to plenty of reactions, including many around the NBA world, such as LeBron, Kevin Durant, Victor Wembanyama, and others who marveled at the big man’s feat.
The Heat star also had immediate reactions and heartfelt moments, with his girlfriend, WNBA star A’ja Wilson, and his mother, Marilyn Blount, by his side to witness his historic feat as part of the Miami home crowd.
The Miami Heat star took to Instagram to share several messages, including one in which he recreated an iconic photo of Wilt Chamberlain. Upon Wilt achieving his scoring record back in 1962, the big man held up a paper with “100” on it for a black-and-white photo that is part of NBA history.
Bam, wearing a towel over his head after the game, appeared in a color photo, holding up a white sheet with “83” on it from a comfortable locker room seat, with an NBA Trophy visible behind him.
“Wilt. Me. Kobe,” he wrote in his Instagram caption.
Along with that, he shared a carousel of photos from his incredible night, including highlights, his celebration with teammates, and him hugging his coach and mom after the feat. His mother wore a special Heat jersey customized with “Captain Mama Bam” on the back.
Along with that, Bam posted a three-word message on his X (formerly Twitter), proclaiming “God is great” with a praying hands emoji after his legendary scoring performance. His 83 points now sit in the record books, along with some elite company, including Wilt and Kobe.
Before scoring 83 points on Tuesday night, Bam's career-high was a mere 41 points, about half of what he accomplished in his latest performance. He surpassed that mark by halftime of the Heat game.
He’ll have some additional time to soak up the win and enjoy the spotlight after an amazing night. He’ll need that rest as Bam and Miami will host Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night.
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