Bam Adebayo etched his name into NBA history Tuesday night, scoring 83 points in the Miami Heat’s 150-129 win over the Washington Wizards.

The All-Star big man produced the second-highest scoring game in NBA history, surpassing the 81-point masterpiece by Kobe Bryant in 2006. Only the legendary 100-point game by Wilt Chamberlain in 1962 stands above Adebayo’s historic night.

🏀 TUESDAY’S FINAL SCORES 🏀

Bam Adebayo scores the 2nd-most points in NBA history to lift the @MiamiHEAT to victory! pic.twitter.com/oTLerEdE5C

— NBA (@NBA) March 11, 2026

Adebayo finished with 83 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks in a dominant outing that saw him shoot 20 for 43 from the field. He also went 7 for 22 from three-point range and delivered a record-setting performance at the free-throw line, making 36 of 43 attempts. Both totals are new NBA single-game records.

The scoring explosion started early in the game. Adebayo poured in 31 points in the opening quarter alone and had already surpassed his previous career high of 41 before halftime, entering the break with 43 points. By the end of the third quarter, he had reached 62, putting the historic milestone well within reach.

Adebayo’s performance rewrote several record books. First, he set new Miami Heat franchise records for most points in a quarter, half and game. He also broke the previous team scoring record of 61 set by LeBron James in 2014.

62 POINTS FOR BAM ADEBAYO 🚨

BREAKS LEBRON’S HEAT RECORD OF 61 🚨

TIES KOBE FOR MOST POINTS THROUGH 3 QUARTERS IN PLAY-BY-PLAY ERA 🚨 pic.twitter.com/eKHtomSsvf

— NBA (@NBA) March 11, 2026

The Heat centre reflected on the moment afterwards, especially after passing Bryant, a player he idolised growing up.

“To be at 83 and passing Kobe, I think about what he would say to me,” Adebayo said. “I always wanted to have a conversation with him. He’d probably say, ‘Go do it again.’”

Adebayo became just the 11th player in league history to score at least 70 points in a game, joining a rare group that includes Luka Dončić, Damian Lillard, Donovan Mitchell, Joel Embiid and Devin Booker, among others.

Before Tuesday, the highest scoring performance in the NBA this season belonged to Nikola Jokić, who had scored 56 points on Christmas Day. Adebayo blew past that mark and then some.

Despite missing several key players, including Tyler Herro and Andrew Wiggins, Miami controlled the game throughout behind Adebayo’s offensive onslaught. Simone Fontecchio added 18 points as the Heat extended their winning streak to six games and improved to 37–29.

For Washington, Alex Sarr led the way with 28 points while Will Riley scored 22 and Jaden Hardy added 17. The Wizards, who were without Trae Young due to knee injury management, dropped their ninth straight game.

But the night belonged entirely to Adebayo, whose unforgettable scoring burst placed him alongside some of the greatest individual performances the NBA has ever seen.