Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo had a performance for the ages on Tuesday night against the Washington Wizards, scoring 83 points in a 150-129 win. He now ranks second all-time for most points scored in an NBA game, surpassing the late Kobe Bryant.
Fans knew they'd be in for a treat when Adebayo scored 31 points in the opening quarter, but no one expected him to drop 83 points on Washington.
"For me, it was just remaining calm, remaining locked in and understanding that I can go for something special," Adebayo said after the game. "I didn't think it was going to be 83. But to have this moment is surreal, because like I said, man, 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."
Despite witnessing an 83-point performance from Adebayo on Tuesday, some NBA fans questioned the integrity of it since the Wizards just couldn't stop fouling.
Adebayo went 20-of-43 from the field and 36-of-43 from the free throw line against the Wizards. When Bryant scored 81 points back on Jan. 22, 2006, he knocked down 28-of-46 shots and had 20 attempts from the foul line.
Interestingly enough, an old social media post from Bryant resurfaced this Wednesday. We'd say it's pretty fitting considering the discourse that's taking place on social media.
"We can enjoy one without tearing down one," Bryant wrote on May 7, 2018. "I love what he's doing. Don't debate what can't be definitively won by anyone."
This should serve as a wake-up call to the fans tearing down Adebayo this week.
NBA legends show love to Adebayo.
Several players paid their respect to Adebayo's 83-point performance on Tuesday night, including former Heat forward LeBron James.
"BAM BAM BAM," James wrote on social media.
Houston Rockets star Kevin Durant added, "It takes a lot of energy to go out there and put those shots up and also make them, set a record, surpass Kobe as the second-highest-scoring player in the history of the game."
Suffice to say, Adebayo's peers were impressed by his performance against the Wizards.
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