WNBA player A’ja Wilson and Bam Adebayo #13 of the Miami Heat embrace after a 150-129 win over the Washington Wizards at Kaseya Center on March 10, 2026 in Miami.
Megan Briggs
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A’ja Wilson is widely considered to be one of the greatest players in WNBA history. Along with already winning three WNBA championships, Wilson is the league’s first four-time MVP and has also won her three Defensive Player of the Year awards.
Wilson is also tied with Liz Cambage for the highest-scoring individual performance in WNBA history, scoring 53 points on Aug. 22, 2023. But Wilson somehow doesn’t have the highest-scoring individual performance in her own household.
That now belongs to Wilson’s longtime boyfriend Heat center Bam Adebayo, who still doesn’t have an NBA MVP award or NBA Defensive Player of the Year honor but put together the second-highest scoring individual performance in NBA history to lead the Heat to a 150-129 win over the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night at Kaseya Center. Adebayo finished with en eye-opening 83 points on 20-of-43 shooting from the field, 7-of-22 shooting on threes and 36-of-43 shooting from the foul line in 42 minutes.
“I know he says that I’m his inspiration,” Wilson said while sitting alongside Adebayo for his postgame press conference late Tuesday night following his historic display, “but I don’t think he has a clue how much he inspires me to continue to be the person that I am.”
Wilson was bothered that she wasn’t in attendance for Sunday’s Heat home win over the Detroit Pistons, when Adebayo joined Dwyane Wade as the only players in franchise history to reach 10,000 career points with the team.
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – JULY 18: A’ja Wilson #22 of the Las Vegas Aces talks with boyfriend Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat prior to the WNBA STARRY 3-Point Contest during the 2025 AT&T WNBA All-Star weekend at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on July 18, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) Steph Chambers Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images
But Adebayo made it up to Wilson by making NBA history in front of her on Tuesday, passing Kobe Bryant’s 81-point night for the second-highest scoring game in league history. Only Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game on March 2, 1962, is ahead of Adebayo’s 83-point outing.
“She was complaining about how I got my 10,000 points and how she wanted me to wait,” Adebayo, 28, said with a smile. “So, to have 83 the first game she’s back here is very special.”
Wilson usually sits courtside at Kaseya Center for Adebayo’s games, but she spent part of Tuesday’s contest watching from an arena tunnel. With Adebayo in the middle of an all-time game, she didn’t want to sit in her seat “to mess up any mojo.”
“I was hiding a little bit only because, I don’t know, I just got nervous,” Wilson said. “Because like Bam said, I see the countless hours that he puts in, I see the early morning workouts, the questioning, the self-doubt, I see all that.
“And so, for him to be thriving so well in that space during that time, I didn’t want to mess up any mojo because we are two of the most routine people ever. And I’m just like, all right, if I’m not in my seat, he’s doing pretty well. And I remember I sat down and you missed your free throw and I was like, all right, let me go back to the back.”
But Wilson was in her courtside seat when Adebayo scored his 83rd point with 1:16 left in Tuesday’s fourth quarter to become just the second player in NBA history to reach that number.
“I knew I wanted to just be there to show my support,” Wilson, 29, said. “But this has been an incredible game, obviously, but journey for Bam. Witnessing it firsthand, the highs and lows of it, it’s been so much fun.”
Adebayo and Wilson have been publicly linked since they each represented Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics, with Wilson attending plenty of Heat games to support Adebayo and Adebayo attending a lot of Las Vegas Aces games to support Wilson since.
“The behind the scenes and the workouts and the conversations, they’re very motivating and obviously you see what she does and you get inspired every day by that,” Adebayo said of Wilson on Tuesday. “… So, I’m thankful to have her in my life.”
Adebayo made sure he was there for Wilson’s moment in the middle of the NBA preseason, flying from Miami to Phoenix in October to watch Wilson and the Aces win their third WNBA championship in four years. And Wilson was there for Adebayo’s all-time moment on Tuesday.
Adebayo and Wilson shared a long embrace before Adebayo left the court following his 83-point night.
“To show up for him, that’s my biggest goal, is always just to be present and show up for him,” Wilson said. “And I was a little mad that you got your 10K and I wasn’t here, but you made up for it. And I’m grateful that God is really just really special for him. God doesn’t play about Bam.”
Celebrating Bam
In honor of Adebayo’s historic 83-point game, the Heat is offering $13 tickets for Thursday’s matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks at Kaseya Center (7:30 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Sun).
The $13 tickets are a nod to Adebayo’s No. 13 jersey number.
Injury report
The Heat will remain without Nikola Jovic (low back injury management), Norman Powell (right groin strain), Terry Rozier (not with team), Andrew Wiggins (left big toe sesamoiditis) and Jahmir Young (G League) for Thursday’s game against the Bucks.
But the Heat listed Tyler Herro (left quad soreness) and Kel’el Ware (right shoulder strain) as questionable for Thursday’s contest after missing Tuesday’s win over the Wizards with their injuries.
The Bucks are expected to have two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo available for Thursday’s game against the Heat. Antetokounmpo is not on Milwaukee’s injury report.
Milwaukee listed Kevin Porter Jr. (right knee synovitis), Bobby Portis (back contusion) and Jericho Sims (right patella tendonitis) as questionable.
The Bucks have already ruled out Alex Antetokounmpo (G League) and Cormac Ryan (G League) for Thursday’s game in Miami.
This story was originally published March 11, 2026 at 1:07 PM.
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Anthony Chiang covers the Miami Heat for the Miami Herald. He attended the University of Florida and was born and raised in Miami.