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Good morning! Break a world record 15 times today. Coming up:
Feedback Loop: The verdict is in: Bam’s good with us
Despite all the national hand-wringing, you, dear readers, are clear in your opinion: Bam Adebayo’s 83-point night Tuesday was completely legitimate. Here’s the vote tally:
Healthy win there for the pro-Bam crowd, and I’m with you. I do think there is a tinge of truth to the concerns about the manner in which this was achieved, but ultimately, we shouldn’t care. He scored 83 points. He hit the shots. His name is stamped in the history books. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra has no regrets, either.
I thought Zach Harper’s Bounce newsletter this week illustrated an important point in all this: Both Wilt Chamberlain and Kobe Bryant did similar stat-padding in their historic performances, too. To score 80-plus points, some of this chicanery must occur. We should accept it and move on.
Your hundreds of emails were also extremely insightful and overwhelmingly pro-Bam. I found three particularly compelling, for different reasons. Let’s start with Dylan G., firmly supporting Adebayo:
“The reaction to Bam’s 83-point game has been nothing short of ludicrous. We just witnessed one of American sports’ greatest benchmarks get passed and the immediate thought is to deem it ‘unethical.’ Was it entirely aesthetically pleasing? Maybe not. But this is a tremendous story for a league that has been dogged by negativity all year. A player who has been with one team, worked hard, been a great teammate accomplished this. A player, mind you, often known for his defensive acumen. Steph, LeBron, KD, Luka, all the game’s best scorers couldn’t do it. This is the perfect tonic for a league that’s been dominated by gambling and tanking this year.”
Here’s Roman G. with a slight nitpick:
“He was 100% legit through three quarters. The fact that it was against a tanking shell of an NBA team is a pox on the NBA (the fact that the validity of records like this is a legitimate debate is just another symptom of the deep disease that is tanking, which the NBA desperately needs to cure), not on him. But at the end of the game, where they’re up 25-plus against a bottom-feeder, keeping him in, force-feeding him, and then, worst, affirmatively fouling the other team for 2-3 minutes of game time just to get more possessions? Gross. Totally delegitimizes the final number.”
Finally, I’d like to thank Matt G. for the email that made me chuckle most yesterday. He said if he were describing Adebayo to the layman, the most important point to note is that “A’ja Wilson lets him hold her hand.” Then, this:
“I was about to go to bed when I saw Bam hit 83. I turned around, booted up League Pass, and cracked open a fresh beer. I watched the entire game and just shook my head in awe the entire time. The experience was amazing and historic. This is awesome for the NBA. Anyone throwing shade this morning is a hater. Kobe would be so proud of Bam.”
Thank you to all of you who participated. A fun kicker for us: Adebayo scored 21 points last night in a win over the Bucks. Sportsbooks were all over the place while Adebayo was on his rampage, too.
Let’s keep moving:
News to Know
Christian Petersen / Getty Images
Chambliss claims lost EA cover
It’s been an offseason in court for Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, who spent months trying to gain another year of eligibility before a court finally granted his request last month. In the meantime, Chambliss claimed in a court filing that he lost out on a real chance to be the cover athlete for EA Sports’ latest college football game due to his wayward status. See more on the dispute here.
Huff retires
San Francisco defensive end Bryce Huff, a six-year NFL veteran and just 27 years old, announced his retirement yesterday, saying he knows he’s “capable of giving the world more than football.” Huff won a Super Bowl with the Eagles in 2024 and helped the 49ers to a playoff berth last season. Read more on his post-football plans here. He’s the second notable early retirement this year after Bears center Drew Dalman, also 27.
Pearl: ASUN attendance was permissible
It’s not a great time to be Auburn men’s basketball coach Steven Pearl, who took over an elite program from his father this season and led it to mediocrity. The Tigers got bounced from the SEC tournament last night to finish 17-16 heading into Selection Sunday. Yesterday, Pearl was under fire for something different: having an assistant coach sit courtside at an ASUN conference tourney game, which drew the ire of Queens University coach Grant Leonard, who accused the assistant of buying a courtside seat to “get ahead” of recruiting his players. Pearl said it’s a “permissible activity.” Catch up on the spat here.
More news:
- Iran’s men’s soccer team said yesterday that “no one” can exclude them from the 2026 World Cup, just hours after President Trump warned they might risk their “life and safety” by coming. Read our full story.
- Miami (Ohio) finally lost, ending its 31-game winning streak in the MAC quarterfinals. They await their NCAA Tournament fate Sunday.
- Reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is officially the record holder for most consecutive 20-point games in league history, passing Wilt Chamberlain.
- WNBA players are “feeling movement” after another marathon bargaining session with the league Wednesday, but a deal still doesn’t appear imminent.
- An Aaron Judge card sold for $5.2 million, a record for a modern baseball card.
- The College Basketball Invitational will not host a tournament this year. More details inside.
- NC State men’s basketball coach Will Wade quickly shot down any questions about possibly returning to LSU yesterday. Hm! Read his full comments.
- Mondo Duplantis broke the pole vault world record for the 15th time. Absurd.
Watch Guide
📺 WBC: Team USA vs. Canada
8 p.m. ET on Fox
Here’s the gift, direct from Italy. The Americans play their northern neighbors in the quarterfinals, where a loss actually sends you home. The winner plays either Korea or the Dominican Republic — who play in the quarterfinal directly before this (6:30 p.m. ET on FS2) — in the ensuing semifinal. Logan Webb is on the bump for Team USA, and I assume manager Mark DeRosa will play the stars this time.
- 🎧 The “Rates and Barrels” gang previewed the rest of the WBC this morning, too. Listen here.
📺 NCAAM: No. 7 Iowa State vs. No. 2 Arizona
7 p.m. ET on ESPN2
This is the semifinal of the Big 12 tournament and a great check-in to see how these teams are playing heading into the NCAA Tournament, where they will likely be on the first two seed lines. The day is full of good games, too.
Get tickets to games like these here.
Pulse Picks
Courtesy of Laura Carrino
Muscular dystrophy took Nets broadcaster Chris Carrino’s mobility. It did not take his voice, which landed him in the Basketball Hall of Fame yesterday. If you want to cry today, read Andrew Marchand’s story.
Gabby Herzig has a wrenching story on the most intimate relationship in golf: between player and caddie.
Also in the golf world: Brody Miller’s extremely cool story this morning inside golf brand Callaway and its “tech-bending search for a new driver.” Make time for this one, too.
Look away, Oakland fans. The A’s are changing the way they do business — they’re actually keeping the young talent they produce.
The NWSL has doubled in size over the last decade. It’s why this season, starting tonight, will be its most important.
A last thought on the Maxx Crosby saga: His toughness, as Vic Tafur writes, is his superpower, even if it comes at a cost.
I really enjoyed this story on Phillies reliever José Alvarado, who missed 80 games last year due to a PED suspension. But there were more important things on his mind — and now he’s pitching with purpose.
Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: The “Yes” option on the Bam Adebayo poll.
Most-read on the website yesterday: One day, the NFL free agency live blog will fall. It didn’t happen yesterday.
📫 That’s all for now! Say hello at thepulse@theathletic.com, and check out our other newsletters.