Bam Adebayo scores 83 points to pass Kobe Bryant for second-most ever in NBA game

Bam Adebayo is occupying a new spot in the NBA history books.

The Heat center scored 83 points in Miami’s 150-129 win over the Wizards on Tuesday night, as he became the second-highest scorer in an NBA game.

Kobe Bryant previously occupied the No. 2 spot when he dropped 81 for the Lakers on Jan. 22, 2026.

Adebayo went 20-for-43 from the field — and 7-of-22 from 3-point land — and made 36 of his 43 free-throw attempts to complete the historic night.

Only Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game in 1962 stands above Adebayo’s night.

Adebayo had only scored at least 30 points three times this season, doing so twice in January.