Heat's Bam Adebayo Drops 83 Points vs. Wizards!

Bam Adebayo Scores 83 Points, Second-Most in NBA History, as Heat Roll Past Wizards 150-129 on Tuesday Evening

Bam Adebayo made NBA history Tuesday night, scoring 83 points — second only to Wilt Chamberlain’s untouchable 100 accomplished during the 1961-62 season — to lead the Miami Heat to a 150-129 rout of the Washington Wizards at Kaseya Center.

Adebayo, who finished 20-for-43 from the field, 7-for-22 from 3-point range, and 36-for-43 from the free throw line, surpassed Kobe Bryant‘s 81 points scored on Jan. 22, 2006, against the Toronto Raptors, to claim the second spot on the NBA’s all-time single-game scoring list. He also set the NBA record for free throws made and attempted in a game.

“Man, I wish I could relive it twice,” Adebayo said. “I credit God, my family, my teammates and this crowd. They kept feeding me the ball.

“It means everything,” Adebayo said. “Those are the guys that believe in you every single day. When they keep trusting you and feeding you the ball in a moment like that, it shows the confidence they have in me. Having the crowd behind us and my teammates right there with me makes it even more special.”

Adebayo nearly had enough to break the record before halftime.

Adebayo had 31 points before the first quarter was even over, already tying the franchise record for points in a half and breaking the mark for any single quarter in Heat history. The Kentucky and High Point Christian Academy (N.C.) product finished the half with 43 — a new franchise record, and two more than his previous career high for a full game — on 13-for-24 shooting, 12-for-14 from the line, and 5-for-11 from 3.

The 31-point quarter was the highest-scoring period in the NBA since Karl Anthony-Towns dropped 32 for Minnesota in the third quarter at San Antonio on March 14, 2022. Only three other players had even reached 31 in a quarter over the past 30 seasons: Klay Thompson, who owns the all-time record with 37 for Golden State in 2015; Kevin Love, who had 34 for Cleveland in 2016; and Carmelo Anthony, who scored 33 for Denver in 2008.

The previous Heat record for a single quarter was 25 points, a mark LeBron James set twice in the same season — once against Charlotte on March 3, 2014, as part of his then team-record 61-point game, and again at Cleveland on March 18.

By halftime, Adebayo had 43. It’s the second-best first half by any player in at least the past 30 seasons — Towns had 44 for Minnesota against Charlotte on Jan. 22, 2024 — though neither comes close to the all-time record of 53, held jointly by Denver’s David Thompson and San Antonio’s George Gervin, who both reached that number on April 9, 1978, the final day of the regular season, in separate games with the scoring title on the line.

BAM ADEBAYO!!!!
SCORED 83 POINTS (2nd most ever)
ATTEMPTED 86 SHOTS (FG+FT)!!!!!

20/43 Shooting
36/43 Free Throws
7/22 Threes
9 Rebounds

His previous career high was 41
The previous franchise high was 61 pic.twitter.com/RZgZjDuTha

— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) March 11, 2026

He is also the first player with at least 12 field goals, 12 free throws made, and five 3-pointers in a single half since Bryant, who posted 18, 13, and six, respectively, in the second half of his 81-point masterpiece.

Adebayo subbed out with 1:08 remaining to a standing ovation, as Miami achieved a season-high scoring total of 150.

Entering Tuesday’s performance, Adebayo’s season-high was 32, which he matched on a first-half free throw with 5:53 left in the second quarter. Ironically enough, his girlfriend, the Las Vegas Aces’ A’ja Wilson, has a piece of the WNBA’s single-game scoring mark at 53 points, tying the star forward with Liz Cambage.

The Heat held a 40-29 lead at the end of the first quarter and were up 76-62 at halftime, never relinquishing control en route to the dominant victory. Miami improves to 37-29 on the season, while Washington falls to 16-48.

“He is one of the top offensive players in this league, and I think he is legit one of the top three two-way players in this league,” Spoelstra said. “But this was a special moment. This is one moment that I’m never going to forget.”

And an individual moment that NBA won’t soon forget.