After two decades, a historic mark was eclipsed as Bam Adebayo finally broke Kobe Bryant’s 81-point record set in 2006. Unfortunately, given the state of basketball discourse today, there was a ton of backlash to his achievement.
Whether it was pointing to the level of competition, his number of free throw attempts, or the blowout nature of the fourth quarter, the Miami Heat center hasn’t been universally celebrated. But franchise legend Dwyane Wade has nothing but respect for his performance.
Dwyane Wade Reacts to Bam Adebayo’s Historic 83-Point Game
Facing a disastrous Washington Wizards squad, Adebayo poured in a history-making 83 points, taking 43 shots and 43 free throws in that timeframe. It became particularly controversial during the fourth quarter.
Even with a lead that was way above 20 points, he continued to jack up shots, with the Heat fouling the Wizards on the other end to conserve time and give him more opportunities. As a result, there was a ton of resistance to the greatness of his game.
Wade, who spent 15 seasons of his career in Miami, winning three championships for the franchise and cementing himself as one of the greatest players in NBA history, did not have many complaints about the way Adebayo achieved the historic mark.
Instead, during a recent appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” he revealed his attempt to break the record. “I tried to do that on the video game the other day, fell short. I had 79. I can’t do it in a video game. I cannot go to Lifetime Fitness right now and do it.”
D-Wade on Bam scoring 83:
“I tried to do that on the video game the other day, fell short. I had 79. I can’t do it in a video game, I cannot go to lifetime fitness right now and do it. That’s an incredible feat. The cardiovascular that it takes, the endurance that it takes to… pic.twitter.com/8lseE6lXMh
— Oh No He Didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) April 8, 2026
That’s when he truly broke into compliments for the three-time All-Star. “That’s an incredible feat. The cardiovascular that it takes, the endurance that it takes to score 83 points is unbelievable.”
The game, in and of itself, is a singular moment in NBA history for the sheer spectacle of breaking the 81-point benchmark set by Kobe Bryant in 2006. However, many problems stem from Adebayo being the one to reach that mark, given his relatively pedestrian offensive numbers.
In a league where at least one player has averaged way above 30 points per game for essentially the last decade, he remains a 20-point-per-game scorer, even this season. As a result, the 83-point game feels like an unexpected outlier coming from him.
But that shouldn’t take away from the impressiveness of the achievement itself, as virtually every player in the NBA has tried and failed to eclipse that legendary mark set by Bryant.
