Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo’s historic week was honored by the league on Monday.
The NBA named Adebayo the Eastern Conference Player of the Week on Monday for games played from March 9-15 — the same week that he scored 83 points for the second-highest individual scoring performance in NBA history to lead the Heat to a win over the Washington Wizards on Tuesday at Kaseya Center. Only Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game on March 2, 1962, is ahead of Adebayo.
With Adebayo’s historic 83-point eruption, he averaged 41.3 points, eight rebounds, two assists, 2.3 steals and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 41 percent from the field, 9 of 34 (26.5 percent) on threes and 51 of 66 (77.3 percent) from the foul line during a 2-1 week for the Heat last week.
With Heat guard Tyler Herro also being named Eastern Conference Player of the Week last week for games played from March 2-8, this marks the first time that the Heat have had players earn the honor in back-to-back weeks since the 2019-20 season when Jimmy Butler and Adebayo were named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week in December 2019.
With this marking the third time that Adebayo has been named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week during his NBA career, he’s only the fourth player to earn the honor three or more times while with the Heat. The other players on that short list are Alonzo Mourning, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James.
Los Angeles Lakers forward Luka Doncic was named the Western Conference Player of the Week on Monday.
Adebayo, 28, is averaging 20 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 44.4 percent from the field and 32.3 percent from three-point range in his ninth NBA season.
The Heat, which is currently in seventh place in the Eastern Conference with a 38-30 record, takes on the Hornets in Charlotte on Tuesday (7 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Sun). Miami is 9-3 since the NBA All-Star break.