Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) gets water poured on him by his teammates after he scored 83 points against the Washington Wizards, marking the second-highest single-game point total in NBA history, on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, at Kaseya Center in downtown Miami, Fla. The Miami Heat won 150-129. Alie Skowronski askowronski@miamiherald.com
A few nights ago, center Bam Adebayo spoke about the significance of joining Dwyane Wade as the only two Miami Heat players to score 10,000 points.
“Man, it means a lot, coming from somebody who got drafted to play defense. And everybody thinking I was just a lob threat.” Adebayo said of reaching that milestone following Sunday’s home win against the Detroit Pistons. “... Obviously, being in the history books behind somebody like D. Wade, it’s a great accomplishment.”
On Tuesday, Adebayo added to his list of accomplishments with a feat that only one other player in NBA history has pulled off.
With rotation regulars Tyler Herro, Norman Powell, Kel’el Ware and Andrew Wiggins out due to injuries, Adebayo put together the second-highest scoring performance in NBA history to help lead the short-handed Heat to a 150-129 win against the struggling and rebuilding Washington Wizards on Tuesday night at Kaseya Center. Adebayo finished with en eye-opening 83 points on 20-of-43 shooting from the field, 7-of-22 shooting on threes and 36-of-43 shooting from the foul line in 42 minutes.
Only Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game on March 2, 1962, is ahead of Adebayo. The three highest-scoring individual performances in league history now belong to Chamberlain (100 points), Adebayo (83 points) and Kobe Bryant (81 points on Jan. 22, 2006).
Adebayo also shattered the previous Heat record of 61 points set by LeBron James in a win over the then-Charlotte Bobcats on March 3, 2014.
“This is a special moment,” Adebayo said. “It’s Wilt, me, then Kobe, which sounds crazy.”
Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) reacts after scoring the second-most points in game in NBA history against the Washington Wizards on March 10, 2026, at Kaseya Center. Alie Skowronski askowronski@miamiherald.com
Adebayo, who was drafted by the Heat with 14th overall pick in 2017, is known for his elite ability on the defensive end. He made one of the NBA’s All-Defensive teams in five seasons of his first eight seasons, and appears to be on his way to making his sixth All-Defensive team this season.
Adebayo’s career-high scoring average for a season is 20.4 points per game, and he’s averaging 20 points per game even after his historic 83-point outing. His previous career-high for a game was 41 points in January 2021.
That’s what helped make Tuesday night so unexpected, along with the fact that only three players in league history have scored 80-plus points in a game.
“Could anybody? No,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said when asked if he could have seen something like this coming for Adebayo. “Look at the company that he’s with right now. The absolute greats of the game, the scoring greats of the game. It’s an absolute credit to his relentless will and work ethic. He’s willed himself and worked himself into being a premier offensive talent in this league. He’s a unique offensive player, so you can’t put him in a conventional box.”
Adebayo was scorching hot from the start, totaling 31 points in Tuesday’s first quarter on 10-of-16 shooting from the field, 5-of-8 shooting from three-point range and 6-of-7 shooting from the foul line. Not only did this set a franchise record for the most points by a Heat player in any quarter, but it also marked the fifth-highest scoring quarter by a player in the NBA’s play-by-play era that began in the 1996-97 season.
The only NBA players who scored more than 31 points in any quarter since the 1996-97 season are Klay Thompson (37-point third quarter on Jan. 23, 2015), Kevin Love (34-point first quarter on Nov. 23, 2016), Carmelo Anthony (33-point third quarter on Dec. 10, 2008) and Karl-Anthony Towns (32-point third quarter on March 14, 2022).
After beginning the second quarter on the bench., Adebayo re-entered the game with 7:02 left in the second quarter and scored another 12 points. He entered halftime with 43 points.
Adebayo’s 43-point first half set a franchise record for the most points by a Heat player in any half, breaking the previous team record of 37 points set by James in a second half on March 3, 2014.
Adebayo also tied Giannis Antetokounmpo (43-point second half on Dec. 13, 2023) for the fifth-most points in any half by an NBA player since the start of the 1996-97 season. The only players during that span who have scored more points in a half are Bryant (55-point second half on Jan. 22, 2006), Devin Booker (51-point second half on March 24, 2017), Brandon Jennings (45-point second half on Nov. 14, 2009) and Towns (44-point first half on Jan. 22, 2024).
“Probably when I had 45 at the half,” Adebayo, 28, said when asked when he had a feeling that Tuesday could end up being historic. “Obviously, my teammates were very geeked at halftime. So for me, it was just remaining calm and remaining locked in and understanding that I can go for something special. I didn’t think it was going to be 83.”
But Adebayo reached that number with a 40-point second half to complete his 83-point masterpiece.
“This was just an absolutely surreal night,” Spoelstra said, with the Heat (37-29) now taking its six-game winning streak into a matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday at Kaseya Center (7:30 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Sun). “Obviously, we’ve been blessed to have been a part of a lot of big moments in this arena. This one, it just happened. Moments happen, and I’m grateful that we were all able to be a part of it and witness it.”
Spoelstra played a part in Adebayo’s memorable night, leaving him in the game to chase history despite the lopsided score.
Even with the Heat leading by double digits for the entire second half and pulling ahead by as many as 28 points, Adebayo played the entire second half before being pulled from the game with 1:08 left in the fourth quarter.
With history in sight, Spoelstra and teammates made sure Adebayo got the ball on nearly every possession and took most of the shots down the stretch on Tuesday.
“In the second half, I was a little bit more intentional trying to get him some touches,” Spoelstra said. “But I would say once he got to 50, then we were thinking, all right, maybe he can get to 60. Then when he got to 60, it just kept on going, and we might as well go for 70. And then I didn’t dare even think about taking him out at that point. He just kept on going.”
Most of Adebayo’s second-half points came at the foul line. With the Wizards sending two, three and sometimes four defenders at Adebayo to try to get the ball out of his hands in the final minutes, he was left trying to draw contact in order to get scoring opportunities on his way to going 24 of 29 at the foul line in the final two quarters.
“You’ve got to give him credit,” Wizards coach Brian Keefe said. “In the first half he shot the ball terrific, he scored the ball really well. Obviously, he came out and had a little bit in the third, too. They obviously kept him in the game, and there was a lot of fouls called — 16 free throws in the fourth quarter. I was trying to take the ball out of his hands, he still got some free throws 40 feet from the rim. I can’t explain some of those calls. That’s all I got to say on that.”
Adebayo went on to set NBA records for free throws made (36) and attempts in game (43) on Tuesday.
“To have this moment, it’s surreal,” Adebayo said. “To be able to do it at home in front of my mom, in front of my people, in front of the home fans, this is a mark in history that will forever be remembered.”
When Adebayo finally exited the game with 1:08 remaining in the fourth quarter, he was greeted by Spoelstra with a big hug and a loud ovation from the Miami crowd.
“Everybody roots for Bam is because he does all the winning things,” Spoelstra said. “He does all the things that aren’t recognized. He puts his body out there. He’s available. He’s a rugged competitor.”
Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) hugs head coach Erik Spoelstra during the second half of a basketball game after he scored 83 points against the Washington Wizards on March 10, 2026, at Kaseya Center in Miami. Alie Skowronski askowronski@miamiherald.com
Once the final buzzer sounded, Adebayo’s Heat teammates celebrated his achievement by dousing him with their water bottles. Adebayo then went over to Heat managing general partner Micky Arison and chief executive offer Nick Arison for congratulations.
“This is a moment that I’m never going to forget,” Spoelstra said. “And just the response of his teammates and the coaching staff for him because you love him, and you want great things for people that you really love. And what a night. What a night for him and his family and the Heat Nation fan base.”
Adebayo then got emotional. He was in tears when he hugged his mother, Marilyn Blount, after Tuesday’s game and also shared a long embrace with longtime girlfriend and four-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson before leaving the court.
“Coming to this league as a defender and a lob threat, I really got emotional,” Adebayo said. “It didn’t hit me until I hugged [Wilson] and then I hugged my mom. ... They see me at my lowest behind the scenes. They’ve seen me at the lowest, bottom of the bottom, trying to figure out how to really pick myself up. And to have this moment and share it with all of them, it’s a pretty emotional moment.”
An emotional and historical moment.
“I don’t even know how to put this night into words, man,” Adebayo said before leaving Kaseya Center late Tuesday night. “I still feel lightheaded.”