Bam Adebayo scored the most points since Wilt Chamberlain‘s iconic 100-point game in 1962 as the Miami Heat star went for 83 points in a 150-129 win over the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night.
Adebayo went 20 of 43 from the field, 7 of 22 from 3-point range and 36 of 43 from the free throw line. He added nine rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks in just under 42 minutes.
His free throw makes and attempts both set NBA records for a game. The record for attempts was 39 by Dwight Howard — who got to the line that many times on two occasions. The record for free throws made in a game was 28, set by Wilt Chamberlain and Adrian Dantley.
Adebayo had averaged just 4.8 free throw attempts per game heading into Tuesday night.
Kobe Bryant’s 81-point game stood for two decades as the most points scored in a game since Chamberlain’s game on March 3, 1962. The last player to get this close to Bryant’s mark was Luka Doncic for the Mavericks on Jan. 26, 2024, when he scored 73.
Adebayo started the game hot, scoring 31 points in the first quarter. He had 43 by halftime and 62 by the end of the third quarter.
LeBron James had the previous Heat single-game scoring mark; his 61-point effort against Charlotte happened on March 3, 2014. Denver’s Nikola Jokic had the previous season high in the NBA this season with 56.
Adebayo passed them both in the third quarter — and just kept going. His previous career high was 41.
