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Bam Adebayo #13 of the Miami Heat celebrates with teammates after a 150-129 win against the Washington Wizards at Kaseya Center on March 10, 2026 in Miami, Florida. Adebayo passed Kobe Bryant for the second most points scored in an NBA game with 83.
Veteran Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard wasn’t as shocked about Bam Adebayo’s historic 83-point performance as some of his NBA peers.
During NBA TV’s live telecast, Lillard jokingly took credit for Adebayo scoring 83 points during the Miami Heat’s 150-129 victory over the Washington Wizards.
“I taught Bam everything he knows,” Lillard said.
“Everything he knows, I taught him. Bam is acting totally different right now. I don’t know what got into him.”
Lillard then narrated a story from his time together with Adebayo during the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo (held in 2021).
“When we were at the Olympics — this is a true story — Bam was like, ‘I’m trying to average 30.’ I literally said to him, ‘You think you’re a 30-point scorer like that?’
“He was like, ‘What do you mean?’ When I was watching him (tonight) I’m like ‘maybe he knew something I didn’t know.’”
Bam Adebayo Makes History
Lillard added that he had to call A’ja Wilson, Adebayo’s girlfriend, to confirm if she was training him to become a better scorer.
“A’ja been working with him, because he ain’t ever scored like this in his life.”
Further to Lillard’s point, Adebayo had only two 30-point games through his first 56 games of the season before Tuesday’s explosion.
Adebayo credited A’ja Wilson for helping him shore up his offensive skills.
“To have 83 the first game she’s here is very special… the behind-the-scenes, the workouts, the conversations, they’re very motivating, and obviously you see what she does… you get inspired by that. I’m thankful to have her in my life,” Adebayo said.
Wilson added, “I see the countless hours, the early morning workouts, the questioning the self, I see all that… this has been an incredible journey for Bam… I know he says I’m his inspiration, but I don’t think he has a clue how much he inspires me.”
Where Does Bam Adebayo’s 83 Rank?
Adebayo’s 83 points marked just the seventh instance of a player scoring 70 or more points in the 21st century. The Heat star joined Kobe Bryant (81 in 2006), Luka Doncic (73 in 2024), Damian Lillard (71 in 2023), Donovan Mitchell (71 in 2023), Devin Booker (70 in 2017) and Joel Embiid (70 in 2024).
Per ESPN Research, Adebayo became the first player in Heat franchise history to attempt 40 field goals in a game, and his 43 field goal attempts were most for a player in a non-OT game since Kobe Bryant’s farewell game in 2016.
Furthermore, Adebayo joined Wilt Chamberlain as one of the only players in NBA history to have 20 made field goals and 25 made free throws in a game. The defensive ace also became the fist player ever to make 25 free throws and five threes in a game.
Adebayo shot 20-of-43 from the field and 36-of-43 from the free throw line en route to his historic 83 points, becoming the first player ever to score 70 while shooting less than 50% from the floor. Those numbers drew criticism from some analysts who felt Adebayo’s historic night felt forced and lacked the luster of Bryant’s 81.
Sai Mohan covers the NBA for Heavy.com. Based in Portugal, Sai is a seasoned sports writer with nearly two decades of publishing experience, including bylines at Yardbarker, FanSided’s Hoops Habit, International Business Times, Hindustan Times and more. More about Sai Mohan
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