Bam Adebayo etched his name among the greatest in NBA history during the game on March 10, but what happened later did not sit well with many. He came under fire for reasons that could not be entirely overlooked, particularly because his feat surpassed the late Kobe Bryant’s 81-point performance.
But in response, Adebayo silenced his critics by explaining that he was fair and that his “chasing greatness” was being shown in a different light.
Bam Adebayo Responds to Critics After Coming Under Scrutiny for Historic 83-Point Performance
Adebayo, the University of Kentucky alum, was off to a good start with 31 points in the first quarter, but when he scored 43 by halftime, the crowd knew something extraordinary was about to unfold. His historic 83-point effort made the headlines, no matter how you see it, but it became a topic of extreme criticism.
To many, the feat did not seem organic like Bryant’s 81-point game, which also served as a benchmark for modern scoring excellence. The Miami Heat, who were already leading, intentionally missed a free throw and committed fouls in the latter part of the game to help their star player get more shots.
He attempted 16 free throws in the final quarter, contributing to his total of 83 points, the second-highest single-game scoring total in NBA history behind only Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point outing in 1962.
In a recent conversation, the 28-year-old referred to the late basketball virtuoso Bryant and said he would not care about comments from people who are nowhere near chasing greatness like him.
“If you are mad, I don’t care. Because a lot of people, they’re upset because if they did play, they never had a chance to get that close to chasing greatness. And if you get that close to chasing greatness, that’s the point of chasing it, so you can surpass it. … If you’ve been in the backyard, and you and a couple of your homies are playing 21, and you got 19, you’re not gonna get an easy look off,” he said.
He also clarified that he was fouled every time and that video footage would prove why he went to the free-throw line. He reasoned that he is not someone who typically averages 10 or 15 free throws per game.
The Miami Heat posted a 150–129 victory over the Washington Wizards, which turned into a circus in the final minutes, with Bam Adebayo getting the ball despite being quadruple-teamed. Before the game, coach Erik Spoelstra spoke with Adebayo about a need for urgency, as key players like Andrew Wiggins and Norman Powell were sidelined with injuries.
Coach Spoelstra was well aware of the fan reaction, but he simply said that he apologized to absolutely no one who thought the final minutes had not played out well.
