Bam Adebayo had the out-of-body experience of a lifetime on Tuesday night.
The Miami Heat star center Adebayo dropped an impossible-to-believe 83 points (not a typo) against the Washington Wizards at Kaseya Center in Miami, Fla. With Tyler Herro, Norman Powell, Andrew Wiggins, and other key scorers missing, Adebayo put the team on his back, going 20/43 from the field, 7/22 from three, and a whopping 36/43 from the free throw line to lead Miami to a 150-129 victory.
Adebayo’s mythical night marked the second-highest single-game scoring total in NBA history, behind only Wilt Chamberlain’s fabled 100-point game in 1962. The three-time All-Star Adebayo also surpassed Kobe Bryant’s legendary 81-point game in 2006 for the highest scoring game of the modern NBA era.
Fans on the Internet were in total disbelief over Adebayo’s history-making performance. Take a look at some of the best reactions.
WHERE WERE YOU THE NIGHT BAM ADEBAYO BROKE KOBE’S RECORD????
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) March 11, 2026
83 POINTS!! HISTORY!!!pic.twitter.com/K6P8kn1kPp
Bam Adebayo on a random Tuesday in March
— Pardon My Take (@PardonMyTake) March 11, 2026
pic.twitter.com/yAyNr2blO2
BAM ADEBAYO JUST PASSED KOBE BRYANTS 81 POINTS pic.twitter.com/PJmQlxVMVi
— Heat Central (@HeatCulture13) March 11, 2026
Until I see footage of Wilt Scoring 100 Bam has the most points in a NBA game ever pic.twitter.com/V9JLIgw6gI
— IcyVert (@IcyVert) March 11, 2026
Nobody alive has scored more points in a NBA game than Bam Adebayo.
— Phill (@MeekPhill_) March 11, 2026
I can’t believe this is the world we live in
The 28-year-old Adebayo had a previous career high of “only” 41 points and proceeded to more than double that on Tuesday night. He also entered play against the Wizards averaging just 19.8 points per game on the season, making his 83-point outburst arguably the most shocking individual performance in NBA history.
Adebayo entered the league back in 2017 with defense as his calling card (having since gone on to make five All-Defensive teams and counting). But now Adebayo can proudly say that he is the owner of the NBA’s single top scoring performance since John F. Kennedy’s presidency.
