Photo: Getty Images
Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo's historic 83-point performance Tuesday (March 10) moved him alongside his girlfriend, Las Vegas Aces center and four-time WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson for a major distinction.
Adebayo is now the NBA's active single-game leading scorer, joining Wilson, who is the WNBA's single-game leading scorer with a 53-point performance against the Atlanta Dream in 2023. The three-time WNBA champion joked that she "won’t have the highest career high in the house anymore 😭 but at least it gives me something to go after" in a post shared on her Threads account after attending Tuesday's game, with the Heat defeating the Wizards, 150-129.
Adebayo finished with a record 36 free throws made and 43 attempted, while his 83 points surpassed late Basketball Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant's 81-point performance on January 22, 2006 by two points and putting him 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 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.