Bam Adebayo’s historic 83-point night continues to make headlines. The Miami Heat superstar became the second player in NBA history with the most points in a game, surpassing Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant.
While some have showered praise on the center, there have been brickbats coming in for Adebayo. One of them was ESPN and NBA insider Tim MacMahon.
ESPN Analyst Launches No-Holds-Barred Tirade Against Bam Adebayo After Epic 83-Point Performance
Speaking on The Hoop Collective, MacMahon labeled the game as a “hilarious exhibition of hideous basketball.” He compared the Washington Wizards to the Washington Generals, the team that lost to the Globetrotters for a significant period of time.
“He’s jacking up 3s triple-teamed! It was honestly just awful, hideous, disgusting basketball down the stretch… I never ever want to hear about Heat culture & professionalism and all that crap again because that was the most blatant stat chasing I’ve ever seen!”
“It was embarrassing for the wizards and egregious for the Heat,” he added. “I enjoyed the ethical 39 by Wemby more than I did the egregious 83.”
Tim MacMahon GOES OFF on Bam 83 point game 😳
“He’s jacking up 3s triple teamed! It was honestly just awful, hideous, disgusting basketball down the stretch… I never ever (x6) want to hear about Heat culture & professionalism and all that crap again because that was the most… pic.twitter.com/xpcYdB6gWU
— Heat Central (@HeatCulture13) March 11, 2026
Adebayo’s night included 43 free throw attempts, with the big man nailing 36 of them. It’s worth noting that Bryant was 18-of-20 from the charity stripe during his 81-point record night against the Toronto Raptors in 2006.
The three-time All-Star has been regarded as one of the most well-rounded bigs over the last few seasons. While he is known for his impressive defense, it was his scoring that caught fire against the Wizards on Tuesday. He had 43 points at the half, 62 by the end of the third quarter, and reached his landmark record in the final minutes of the game.
MORE: Bam Adebayo Recreates Wilt Chamberlain’s Iconic Photo After Heat Star’s Phenomenal 83-Point Game
In related news, Adebayo reflected on his record and shared what it would have been like if he spoke to the late Bryant about it. “To be at 83 and passing [Bryant], in my mind, it’s like, what would he say to me? Because I’ve always wanted to have a conversation with him,” he said. “He’ll probably say, ‘Go do it again,'” per Yahoo! Sports.
While MacMahon had his opinion out in the open, Adebayo’s performance has already been etched in the record books. As for the Heat, they will be happy that the effort resulted in a 150-129 win, keeping them in the playoff hunt.
