The Wizards couldn’t stop Bam Adebayo, but the haters sure are trying to bring him down.
The Heat star’s historic 83-point effort Tuesday — the second-most points scored in a game in NBA history — has led to some Silky Johnson-level of hating from his NBA brethren.
76ers wing Kelly Oubre, whose career-high of 40 points isn’t even half of Adebayo’s output, all but said he views Joel Embiid’s 70-point game in 2024 as more impressive.
“For one, I’m going to say it’s definitely legendary, the box score, right, the number,” Oubre said Tuesday night after beating the Grizzlies. “Shoutout to Bam, he’s just implementing himself in history and I’m kind of salty that he bested Kobe, he’s one of my favorite players for sure.
“But I’m just going to say this, man: Joel did it efficiently and he did it in three quarters.”
To drive the point home further, Oubre raised his eyebrows after the Embiid remark.
Rockets coach Ime Udoka then basically poured some cold water on the Heat big man’s accomplishment — yes, we went for that pun — by digging into the box score and ripping the opponent.
“First thing you think is how? Not because of him, but because of the way he plays. I saw he only made six 3s but 40 free throws, or something like that. Tells the story right there. And the Washington Wizards,” Udoka said.
While it may have been the Wizards, the points still count.
The points made by Oubre and Udoka seem to be the main pushback against Adebayo’s night, with folks pointing to the referee’s involvement.
NBA’s highest single-game scoring box score
| Player | Team | Opponent | Year | Shots | 3’s | FTs | Points | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilt Chamberlain | Lakers | Knicks | 1962 | 36-63 | NA | 28-32 | 100 | 48 |
| Bam Adebayo | Heat | Wizards | 2025 | 20-43 | 7-22 | 36-43 | 83 | 42 |
| Kobe Bryant | Lakers | Raptors | 2006 | 28-46 | 7-13 | 18-20 | 81 | 42 |
| Joel Embiid | 76ers | Spurs | 2024 | 24-41 | 1-2 | 21-23 | 70 | 37 |
Adebayo shot 43 free throws Tuesday night, 11 more than Wilt Chamberlain shot in his record-holding 100-point game against the Knicks in 1962, and 23 more than Kobe Bryant when he scored 81 in 2006.
Before Wednesday, Adebayo had attempted at least 10 free throws in just four of 57 games (7.0 percent) and had not topped 17.
Some also shaded the Heat for their clear effort to get Adebayo attempts at the end of the game, despite the eventual 150-129 win all but secured.
His 82nd and 83rd points came after Washington fouled him while he drove to the hoop after the Wizards made a clear effort to prevent him from getting the ball.
“To be 83 (points) and to pass (Bryant), my mind is like, ‘What would he say to me?’ ” Adebayo said.
“Cause I’ve always wanted to have a conversation with him. … But just a surreal moment being in the company with someone you idolized growing up.”