The Miami Heat have hosted legends like LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Shaquille O’Neal, but no one has done what Bam Adebayo accomplished on Tuesday night. In fact, almost no one in NBA history has done what Adebayo did on Tuesday.
Adebayo scored 83 points against the Washington Wizards, delivering the NBA’s first 80-point performance since Kobe Bryant’s 81 in 2006 and the second highest-scoring game in NBA history.
Adebayo didn’t record an assist until the fourth quarter, but it’s hard to fault him while carrying the Heat so effectively on offense.
Here’s a look at Adebayo’s historic performance and where it ranks in NBA history.
MORE: Who has the most points in a game in NBA history?
Bam Adebayo 83-point game stats
Here’s the final line from Adebayo’s performance against the Wizards in a 150-129 win:
- MIN: 42
- PTS: 83
- REB: 9
- AST: 3
- STL: 2
- BLK: 2
- TO: 5
- FG: 20/43
- 3P: 7/22
- FT: 36/43
Adebayo’s 83 points are the most by any player since Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game in 1962 and the second-most in NBA history. 36 of them came on free throws, as Adebayo attempted an NBA-record shots from the line. He finished 20-of-43 from the field, including 7-of-22 from 3-point range, and played 41 minutes.
Adebayo scored 31 points in the first quarter alone, also a Heat record for a single quarter and enough to outscore the Wizards by himself in the frame. Even with the Heat in full command, coach Erik Spoelstra left Adebayo in the game as he made a charge past Bryant’s mark. Only Wilt Chamberlain had scored more than Bryant’s 81 before Tuesday night, with his famous 100-point game in 1962.
While the Heat won big, they did need Adebayo to step up. Tyler Herro, Norman Powell, Kel’el Ware and Nikola Jovic were all ruled out for Miami, leaving the team inexperienced around their All-Star big man.
MORE: Comparing Bam Adebayo’s 83-point game to Kobe Bryant’s 81-point game
Most points in a game in NBA history
The NBA’s single-game points list now reads: Chamberlain, Adebayo, Bryant, in that order.
| Player | Points | Date |
| Wilt Chamberlain | 100 | March 2, 1962 |
| Bam Adebayo | 83 | March 10, 2026 |
| Kobe Bryant | 81 | Jan. 22, 2026 |
| Wilt Chamberlain | 78 | Dec. 8, 1961 |
| Luka Doncic | 73 | Jan. 26, 2024 |
| David Thompson | 73 | April 9, 1978 |
| Wilt Chamberlain | 73 | Nov. 16, 1962 |
| Wilt Chamberlain | 73 | Jan. 13, 1962 |
| Wilt Chamberlain | 72 | Nov. 3, 1972 |
Chamberlain, Adebayo and Bryant are the only three players to score at least 75 points in an NBA game, with Chamberlain doing so twice. Adebayo was the first player to score 70 points since Luka Doncic in 2024.
MORE: NBA 50-point games this season
How did Bam Adebayo score 83 points?
Adebayo’s night started with a 31-point explosion in the first quarter. He outscored the Wizards by himself in the quarter and didn’t take his foot off the gas, going to halftime with 43 points and adding 40 more in the second half. Here’s a look at Adebayo’s first quarter:
With Herro, Powell, Jovic and Ware all out, Adebayo was a one-man wrecking crew, aided by an abysmal Wizards defense that had a difficult time defending him without fouling. Adebayo went to the free throw line 43 times, four more than the previous NBA record, and he drilled 36 of his 43 attempts.
BAM BREAKS KOBE’S 81-POINT RECORD AND SCORES 83!
THE SECOND-MOST IN NBA HISTORY AFTER WILT 🤯 pic.twitter.com/XnOrMCat56
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 11, 2026
Adebayo’s 20-of-43 mark from the field and 7-of-22 mark from 3-point range didn’t give him his most efficient night by any means, but some of those missed shots came near the end of the game when he was clearly intent on making a run at 80 points.
Most free throws in one game
Adebayo also joined the NBA history books by becoming the first player to attempt at least 40 free throws in one game, shooting 43 from the line.
| Player | Free throw attempts | Date |
| Bam Adebayo | 43 | March 10, 2026 |
| Dwight Howard | 39 | March 12, 2013 |
| Dwight Howard | 39 | Jan. 12, 2012 |
| Andre Drummond | 36 | Jan. 20, 2016 |
| DeAndre Jordan | 34 | Nov. 30, 2015 |
| Wilt Chamberlain | 34 | Feb. 22, 1962 |
Dwight Howard broke the record with a 39-attempt night in 2012 and tied his own mark with another 39-attempt game in 2013. While Howard, Andre Drummond and DeAndre Jordan were all “hacked” in part because they often struggled from the line, Adebayo had no difficulty making his free throws on Tuesday.
Most points in Heat history
| Player | Points | Date |
| Bam Adebayo | 83 | March 10, 2026 |
| LeBron James | 61 | March 3, 2014 |
| Glen Rice | 56 | April 15, 1995 |
| Dwyane Wade | 55 | April 12, 2009 |
| LeBron James | 51 | Feb. 3, 2011 |
Adebayo shattered the Heat record previously held by LeBron James, who scored 61 points against the Bobcats on March 3, 2014. Adebayo had never recorded a 50-point game in his NBA career before Tuesday’s explosion, let alone 60, 70 or 80, which might have seemed unthinkable.
Bam Adebayo career high scoring nights
Adebayo’s career-high before Tuesday wasn’t even halfway to his 83-point game:
| Date | Points | Opponent |
| March 10, 2026 | 83 | Wizards |
| Jan. 23, 2021 | 41 | Nets |
| Feb. 8, 2023 | 38 | Pacers |
| Nov. 25, 2022 | 38 | Wizards |
| Feb. 26, 2022 | 36 | Spurs |
| March 5, 2025 | 34 | Cavaliers |
After not even reaching 40 points in a game since 2021, Adebayo’s name is now etched in history alongside Wilt Chamberlain and Kobe Bryant.
How old is Bam Adebayo?
Adebayo is 28 years old; he won’t turn 29 until July.
Still on the right side of 30 nine years after being drafted, Adebayo still might not be able to avoid feeling sore when he wakes up on Wednesday after putting the Heat on his back against the Wizards.
