Bam Adebayo occupies a new spot in the NBA history books.
The Heat center scored 83 points in Miami’s 150-129 home win over the Wizards on Tuesday night in Miami, as he became the second-highest scorer in an NBA game, surpassing Lakers legend Kobe Bryant for the spot.
The record-setting night came as Adebayo also set a new Heat franchise record for most points in a single game, which had previously been 62.
Bam Adebayo, who scored 83 points, looks to make a move during the Heat’s 150-129 win over the Wizards on March 10, 2026 at Kaseya Center in Miami, Fla. NBAE via Getty Images
Bryant previously occupied the No. 2 spot in league history when he dropped 81 for the Lakers on Jan. 22, 2006.
“To be 83 [points] and to pass [Bryant], my mind is like what would he say to me?” Adebayo told reporters after the game. “Cause I’ve always wanted to have a conversation with him. … But just a surreal moment being in the company with someone you idolized growing up.”
Video from inside Crypto.com Arena showed a mixture of boos from the crowd after it had been announced that Adebayo had recorded 83 points.
Only Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game in 1962 stands above Adebayo’s night and the Heat star joined the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer by becoming the only other player to record 20 field goals and 25 free throws in a game.
Adebayo finished the night with 36 made free throws, which were the most in league history and he became the first Heat player to attempt 40 field goals in a game, according to ESPN Insights.
Adebayo went 20-for-43 from the field — and 7-of-22 from 3-point land — and made 36 of his 43 free-throw attempts.
The Miami Heat and Bam Adebayo #13 of the Miami Heat celebrate after the game against the Washington Wizards on March 10, 2026 at Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. NBAE via Getty Images
Bam Adebayo hangs on the rim after a dunk during the Heat’s blowout win over the Wizards. Rhona Wise-Imagn Images
In a nod to the historic nature of the night, the Heat star paid homage to Chamberlain by posing with a handwritten sign with the number 83 written on it, similarly to how Chamberlain did when he set the record on March 2, 1962, at Hersheypark Arena.
“Like I said, I wish I could relive it twice,” Adebayo told reporters. “So this is a special moment. Wilt, me and then Kobe — which sounds crazy.”
He shattered the franchise record with 22 seconds left in the third quarter with a slam dunk that put him at 62 points on the night, besting the mark held by LeBron James that he set on March 3, 2014.
Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat poses for a photo holding up a sign after scoring 83 points in game breaking Kobe Bryant’s Record of 81 points after the game against the Washington Wizards on March 10. NBAE via Getty Images
After the final buzzer on Tuesday, Adebayo celebrated the historic moment by hugging his girlfriend, WNBA star A’ja Wilson, and his mother, Marilyn Blount.
Wilson also joined him on the podium for his postgame press conference and in a post on social media, she joked, “Welp won’t have the highest career high in the house anymore.”
Adebayo had only scored at least 30 points three times this season, doing so twice in January.