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By Cole Sullivan
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History was made in the NBA on Tuesday night when Miami Heat forward Bam Adebayo erupted for an astonishing 83 points in a 150–129 win over the Washington Wizards.
Adebayo scored 31 points in the first quarter, which set the tone for what was going to be a special night. Still, few could have imagined he would surpass Kobe Bryant’s 81-point performance in 2006 to move into second place all-time for most points in a single game — trailing only Wilt Chamberlain, who famously scored 100 points in 1962.
The Heat elected to keep Adebayo in throughout the fourth quarter despite holding a hefty double-digit lead, and he finished the night shooting 20-for-43 from the field, 36-for-43 from the free-throw line, and 7-for-22 from three-point range.
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However, Heat president of basketball operations Pat Riley had a viral confession for Adebayo moments after the game in the tunnel, revealing that he would have taken him out of the game once he reached 70 points.
“I would have taken you out at 70,” Riley said to Adebayo. “Goddamn it! You did it!”
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“Pat Riley making everything about himself — narrative,” one fan said.
Someone else added, “Yeah, we know. You’ve been holding Bam back his entire career.”
Another person wrote, “One hooper being happy for the next. It’s got nothing to do with Kobe — people are just weird.”
“When the Heat Godfather Pat Riley approves of the work you do, that’s all that matters from Bam Adebayo’s perspective,” a fan shared.
One more commented, “I don’t get why people are hating. If Kobe Bryant was about to hit 100, would anyone have thought about taking him out?”
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The ending certainly led to some controversy, as Adebayo was fouled repeatedly late in the game. The Heat also intentionally fouled the Washington Wizards when they had the ball to prevent them from running out the clock, giving Adebayo more opportunities to chase the record.
But regardless, 83 points is 83 points. Just as people have done for the past two decades after Bryant scored 81, fans will always remember the night Adebayo dropped 83 on the Wizards during the 2025–26 NBA season.
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