Bam Adebayo bested his idol, Kobe Bryant, with a remarkable 83-point performance in the Miami Heat’s game against the Washington Wizards on Tuesday (March 10).
Indeed, this puts Bam in the rarest of company, as he now boasts the second-most points to ever be scored in an NBA game. Bam’s time on the court at Kaseya Center on Tuesday placed the 28-year-old two points ahead of Kobe’s 81-point performance with the Lakers back in 2006. The all-time record of 100, set by Wilt Chamberlain more than 60 years ago, still stands.
“[Kobe] was my idol growing up,” Bam later told SportsCenter’s Scott Van Pelt. “I watched how he approached the game with that much focus, that laser focus [and] being locked in 48 minutes of a game. Obviously, to see him do it that way, a special moment. … Being able to never meet him, in my mind, I wonder what he would say to me at this point. He’d probably tell me, ‘do it again.’”
Naturally, fans weren’t alone in their swift reactions to Bam’s big moment. Fellow NBA stars also had much to say about the undeniable feat, with LeBron James and others among those who were quick to celebrate the moment on social media. In more detailed comments, some players were slightly less enthusiastic, opting to pair their congratulatory remarks with some nitpicking about how Bam amassed his 83 points on Tuesday night.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, ultimately, shared what could easily be argued as the fairest and most measured take.
“It doesn’t matter how you get there,” the Bucks star said, as seen in full here. “All that matters is that you got it. In 10, 20, 30 years from now, nobody’s going to remember how many free throws he shot.”
See more reactions below. Bam and the Heat will next take on the Bucks this Thursday (March 12).