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Bam Adebayo #13 of the Miami Heat is interviewed 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.
Bam Adebayo’s historic 83-point performance was not pretty to watch. The Miami Heat star attempted 43 shots (most in franchise history) and 43 free throws (most in NBA history), while becoming the first player ever to shoot less than 50% from the field en route to 70+ points, per ESPN Research.
Adebayo shot 20-of-43 from the floor, including 7-of-22 from three, while needing a lot of assistance from the tanking Washington Wizards, not to mention the officiating crew, to etch his name in the NBA history books. In comparison, Kobe Bryant shot 28-of-46 from the floor and 18-of-20 from the free-throw line to score 81.
Also worth highlighting is that Adebayo shot a mediocre 36% in the second half, going 7-of-19 from the field and 2-of-11 from deep. Overall, he missed 23 shots, including 15 threes, and yet recorded the second-highest scoring game of all time.
Frank Isola noted that neither Bryant nor Michael Jordan ever attempted more than 27 free throws in a game, while Adebayo got to the line 43 times on Tuesday.
Bam Adebayo’s 83 Fuels Backlash
ESPN’s Bobby Marks highlighted that Adebayo attempted just 4.8 free throws per game prior to Tuesday’s contest. The massive discrepancy was too hard to ignore.
The Ringer’s Ryena Russillo offered a sarcastic remark, pointing out how the Heat can’t be faulted for fouling the Wizards multiple times while leading by 20+ points, just so their star player could make NBA history, as the Wizards were clearly tanking.
“Loved every minute of Bam’s 83,” he wrote. “The absurd possessions. The home broadcast raving about his unselfishness when he made a pass. Spo’s ridiculous challenge. Fouling up 20+ to stop the clock. The bombs from 3. Washington fouling a different player so Bam wouldn’t get the shot. The missed FTA to try for another possession. Can’t get mad at Miami when the other team is hoping to lose.”
Elsewhere, X user Turn called Adebayo’s performance the “most shameless, disgusting performance in sports history,” while highlighting his shot and free-throw attempts.
Radio analyst Rick Kamla felt Adebayo’s 83 should come with an asterisk.
NBA is a ‘Clown Show’
X user Jacob was livid with the Heat’s blatant tactics to get Adebayo to 83 points.
“The NBA is officially a clown show,” he wrote.
“What other pro league acts like this? Fouling the Wizards to preserve the clock up 20 to stat pad Bam’s points… Imagine the NFL doing this, letting the other team score TDs to get the ball back?”
FS1’s Craig Carton called Tuesday’s game “a disgrace” to basketball.
“This Miami Heat vs Washington Wizards game is a disgrace to basketball,” he wrote.
“Miami Up 26 and fouling Washington as soon as ball is inbounded and missing free throws on purpose to get Bam Adebayo more shots and points is pathetic. Wizards are triple teaming Bam full court trying to prevent him from scoring 83 which he now did. He has taken over 40 free throws and over 40 shots. Total s**t show.”
Even Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka seemed to take a jab at the Washington Wizards for facilitating Bam Adebayo’s historic 83-point night.
“I saw he only made 6 threes but 40 free throws or something like that, tells the story right there and….the Washington Wizards,” he told reporters.
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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