Doris Burke has chimed in on Bam Adebayo’s suddenly polarizing 83-point masterpiece.
What was supposed to be universally celebrated has instead ignited heated conversations about its merits.
As Adebayo approached Kobe Bryant’s 81-point mark during Tuesday’s game against the Washington Wizards at Kaseya Center in Miami, Fla., his teammates seemingly did everything they could to help him reach 80 points by feeding him the ball nonstop.
Burke admitted she was uneasy about how the final minutes of that game played out, but said she fully appreciates what Adebayo pulled off in South Beach.
“Was I slightly uncomfortable with the 6-minute mark and down with some of the intentional fouling and free throws? A little bit, but I am taking nothing away from Bam Adebayo,” shared Burke during Wednesday’s ESPN broadcast of a game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Orlando Magic.
Doris Burke on Bam Adebayo's 83-point game:
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 12, 2026
"Was I slightly uncomfortable with the 6 minute mark and down with some of the intentional fouling and free throws? A little bit, but I am taking nothing away from Bam Adebayo."
"If you're going to go out of your way for anybody if… pic.twitter.com/ucAu9m1ow0
“If you’re going to go out of your way for anybody, if you’re the Miami Heat, he would be the guy.”
On the one hand, there’s the school of thought that the Heat star big man’s historic performance deserves nothing but praise. Regardless of the circumstances, scoring at least 80 points in a game is a tough thing to accomplish.
On the other hand, there’s a group of basketball philosophers who argue that a chunk of those 83 points was achieved “unethically,” as Adebayo launched 22 attempts from deep (made seven) and sank 36 of his 43 free-throw attempts.
There is only one way to get everyone on the same page about this matter, and that’s with Adebayo scoring 83 points (or more) again on nothing but contested fadeaways.
