NBA: Bam Adebayo has the game of his life with 83 points and breaks Kobe Bryant's legendary record
This is the second-best scoring mark for an NBA player in a game. The top spot still goes to Wilt Chamberlain, who scored 100 points on March 2, 1962.
Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat scoring in a file image
Bam Adebayo, center for the Miami Heat, made history in a big way this March 10, 2026, becoming the third NBA player to surpass 80 points in a single American basketball league game. With his 83 points in the Heat's 150-129 victory over the Washington Wizards, Adebayo not only had the game of his life, but also broke Kobe Bryant's legendary record, who held the second-best single-game points record in NBA history NBA: 81 on January 22, 2006, in the Los Angeles Lakers' 122-104 win over the Toronto Raptors.
Despite surpassing Bryant, the best scoring record in an NBA game still belongs to legend Wilt Chamberlain, who scored 100 points on March 2, 1962, in the Philadelphia Warriors 169-147 win over the New York Knicks.
BAM SCORES THE SECOND-MOST POINTS IN NBA HISTORY 🚨🚨🚨 https://t.co/Yx7mQLslxp pic.twitter.com/NUTYl01Yc9
Adebayo's stats in this game stood out for two items in particular: the staggering number of free throws taken (36 made for 43 attempts) and the 7 three-pointers made in 22 attempts for a center who does not exceed 35% shooting from long distance in the regular season and rarely attempts more than ten three-pointers in a game.
Overall, Adebayo had 20 field-goal hits on 43 field goals and completed his career stat line with 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks in 42 minutes of play.
"I wish I could relive it twice," Adebayo said after the game during the celebration with his teammates. "I mean, I credit God, my family, man, my teammates, this crowd, and they kept feeding me the ball."
"I wish I could relive it twice."
83 points.
A night @Bam1of1 will never forget ❤️ pic.twitter.com/GRt85EiFVD
NORM POWELL: "How does it feel to hear your name with Wilt, Bam, Kobe?"
BAM ADEBAYO: "Top 3 performances of all-time." https://t.co/393dcQVGxH pic.twitter.com/gMokEunRBg
The center also singled out his coach, Erik Spoelstra, who kept him on the court for most of the game, even with the score all but sealed: "They're like my second family. And like I said, man, I couldn't do it without them. Somebody had to pass me the ball. I appreciate coach for drawing up plays for me, and I got it going tonight."
During the interview, Adebayo revealed that when he had 43 points at halftime, he felt it could be a "special" night in individual terms.
Beyond breaking Kobe's record, Adebayo helped his team settle for sixth place in the Eastern Conference with a 37-29 record, a half-game ahead of the Magic.
Sixth place grants a direct pass to the NBA Playoffs.
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