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Miami Heat big man Bam Adebayo surpassed late Basketball Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant for the second-highest-scoring game in NBA history during his team's 150-129 win against the Washington Wizards Tuesday (March 10) night.
Adebayo recorded 83 points, which included an NBA record 36 free throws made and 43 attempted, surpassing Bryant's 81-point performance on January 22, 2006 by two points and finishing 17 points shy of late Basketball Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game, which stood as the NBA record since March 2, 1962.
"Like I said, I wish I could relive it twice," Adebayo told reporters via ESPN. "So this is a special moment. Wilt, me and then Kobe -- which sounds crazy."
The Heat shared a photo of Adebayo holding up the number 83 written on a piece of white paper while sitting in his locker on their social media accounts, referencing Chamberlain's iconic photo doing the same with the number 100.
"An absolutely surreal night," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said via ESPN.
Adebayo, 28, scored 31 points in the first quarter, 43 at halftime and 62 at the end of the third quarter. The three-time All-Star went 20-of-43 from the field, 7-of-22 on 3-pointers and recorded nine rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals.
Adebayo's mother, Marilyn Blount, and girlfriend, Las Vegas Aces center and four-time WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson were in attendance for Adebayo's career-high performance.
"Welp won’t have the highest career high in the house anymore 😭 but at least it gives me something to go after 🤭," Wilson, whose career-high is 53 points, wrote on her Threads account.