Bam Adebayo is currently the longest tenured player on the Miami Heat roster, having spent all nine of his NBA seasons with the organization. During that time, he has experienced nearly every stage of the franchise’s recent era. From being around during the final years of Dwyane Wade’s career, to making deep playoff runs alongside Jimmy Butler, to winning two Olympic gold medals with Team USA and becoming the captain of the Heat, Adebayo has been through a lot during his time in Miami.
However, this season has felt different from the rest. In the post Jimmy Butler era, it became clear that much of the attention would shift toward Bam and how he would respond after what many considered to be an underwhelming 2024-2025 season. One of the biggest criticisms fans have had regarding Adebayo over the years is how he can sometimes get lost on the offensive end during certain stretches of games and overall how his offensive game may not be enough. Fans for years have wanted him to at least develop to a 22+ PPG scorer along with keeping the same DPOY tenacity that he always brings.
Because of that, when Bam began experimenting with adding a three point shot to his game a couple of seasons ago, many fans were excited about the potential of him expanding his offensive skill set. This season, Adebayo has shown the utmost confidence in that shot. He has already made 101 three pointers, which is just one shy of tying the total number he made during his first eight seasons in the NBA combined.
This development has been extremely important for Miami this season as the team has completely reconstructed how it operates on the offensive end of the floor. The Heat are now playing at a faster pace and relying much more on perimeter oriented shot creation, and Bam’s willingness to step out and space the floor has become a crucial part of making that system work. With Bam’s spacing, it leaves room for scorers like Tyler Herro and Norman Powell to work more in the paint.
However, this season has not been the most smooth for him. After a decent start for him and the team, Bam had his worst scoring month of the season in December averaging only 16.4 PPG, which was a noticeable dip from the level of production many were hoping for from him. At the same time, the Miami Heat were also going through one of their most difficult stretches of the season, struggling to find consistency as they went 3-8 for that month. Because of Bam’s importance to the team, his scoring struggles became a major talking point among fans, as many were hoping to see him take on a larger offensive role during a time when Miami was searching for answers.

Fans weren’t the only ones who were visibly frustrated with Bam’s performances during that stretch. Bam Adebayo himself acknowledged the slump and took accountability, saying, “I got to figure it out. I don’t know about anybody else, but me accepting accountability, I’ve got to be better. I’m letting my team down.”
Luckily for Bam and the Heat, things began to stabilize. In January he averaged 18.6 points per game and followed that up with 20.5 points per game in February. While those numbers did not necessarily jump off the page, they at least showed that he was trending back toward normal production rather than continuing the dip he experienced in December. Yet even with Bam improving, the team continued to hover around mediocrity. For much of the season, the Heat found themselves stuck in the Play-In once again, defending their unofficial title as the kings of Play-Inville.
After the All-Star break, fans were hoping Miami could make a push with an easier schedule to close out the season. However, after failing to capitalize in a loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on February 26th, Bam Adebayo showed clear frustration with the team’s situation, saying, “I don’t wanna be in this shit no more. We’re better than being in the play-in the last four years.”
That comment quickly caught the attention of Heat legend Dwyane Wade, who responded with a blunt message: “Are you? Because men lie, women lie, numbers don’t.” Wade later doubled down on the point during an appearance on Shaquille O’Neal’s podcast, saying that the overall energy around Miami basketball simply was not the same as it once was.
“The city needs to be woken up. It’s not alive no more. When we was here it was buzzing in these streets. We been here the last couple of days, ain’t nothing buzzing outside.”
At the time, those comments might have sounded harsh, but in hindsight they may have been exactly what Bam and the Heat needed to hear.

As of March 13th, the Miami Heat and Bam Adebayo are on a roll. Since the loss to the Philadelphia 76ers and the comments made by both Bam and Dwyane Wade, Miami has won seven straight games, with Bam playing a huge role in those victories. He and Tyler Herro have looked completely in sync during this stretch, flourishing with their two-man game and consistently putting pressure on opposing defenses.
During this run, Bam has averaged 31.4 points and 9.3 rebounds per game, a stretch highlighted by one of the most historic performances in NBA history on March 10th against the Washington Wizards. With the Heat severely shorthanded—missing Tyler Herro, Andrew Wiggins, Norman Powell, and Kel’el Ware—Bam delivered a performance for the ages. He scored 83 points, surpassing Kobe Bryant’s legendary 81-point game and moving into second place all-time in points scored in a single game.
Bam broke numerous records throughout the night. He set a new Heat franchise record for most points in a single quarter, scoring 31 points on an efficient 10-for-16 shooting performance. He also broke the franchise record for most points in a half with 43, which simultaneously surpassed his previous career-high game of 41 points. By the end of the third quarter, he had already broken another team record for most points scored in a single game, reaching 62 points.
But the job was not done yet.
Early in the fourth quarter, the shorthanded Heat saw their lead shrink to 13 points. With Bam already having taken over the game, Miami legitimately needed him to continue scoring to put Washington away. After the Heat extended the lead again, Bam had already climbed close to the 80-point mark. With just enough time remaining in the game—and the Wizards still having no answer for how to guard him—head coach Erik Spoelstra allowed the moment to continue. Within the final minute, Bam officially made NBA history, finishing the night with 83 points.
He also set another record during the game with the most free throws made and attempted in a game, finishing with 36 made free throws on 43 attempts.
Being able to witness such a historic moment is something every Heat fan will never forget. The moment was made even more special because it happened at home, with Bam’s partner, A’ja Wilson, and his mother both in attendance for the game. Afterward, Adebayo admitted the moment still felt surreal, especially when realizing the historical company he had joined.
“It’s a special moment. It’s Wilt, me, then Kobe… which sounds crazy,” Bam said after the game, reflecting on surpassing Bryant’s iconic 81-point performance from someone he has long idolized.
Spoelstra also made it clear after the game that he had no intention of stopping the moment. When asked about leaving Bam in the game, Spoelstra said he “wouldn’t dare take him out,” recognizing that the team was witnessing a historic performance unfold in real time.

Unfortunately, babies are going to cry. While a large portion of the NBA world was rejoicing and celebrating what was a monumental event, the critics started making noise. Critics of the game and Kobe stans began questioning how “ethical” the performance was, pointing to the free throws and the intentional fouling late in the game. Some even went as far as saying that Bam Adebayo or the Miami Heat should have subbed him out to preserve Kobe Bryant’s record.
First off, the majority of the people making those claims clearly did not watch 90% of the game, so when they talk about the “ethics of the game,” they have no idea what they are talking about. For the entire game, the Washington Wizards had zero answers for him. While Alex Sarr did have a good offensive night himself and made some solid defensive plays, he along with Anthony Gill and Tristan Vukcevic simply could not stop Bam. Gill and Vukcevic (in his six minutes of play) both finished with five fouls, while Sarr ended with three.
If you actually watch the game or even know Bam’s play style, he is probably one of the most ethical players in the league. When he got fouled, it was not because he was foul-baiting; the Wizards simply could not stop him. And if you go back and watch the film, you will clearly see that the fouls came as a result of Washington’s inability to defend him without hacking him. Up until the final minutes of the game, when the Wizards began sending at least three defenders at him almost every possession, they were mostly letting him go one-on-one with whoever happened to be guarding him.
Now while everyone understands that the final minutes of the game were a different kind of basketball, the argument that Bam or the team should have subbed him out when he was sitting around 76 or 77 points is simply illogical. Records are meant to be broken, and players stat-pad all the time. Just because Kobe scored 81 points does not suddenly mean every other historic performance should stop short of it.
And if we are being honest, Kobe’s 81-point game itself was not exactly the pinnacle of “ethical hoops” either. That performance came against a struggling Toronto Raptors team, and while the game was closer late than Miami’s game against Washington, Kobe was still stat-padding toward the end once the outcome was largely decided. In the fourth quarter alone, he took 13 of the team’s 17 shots. You can argue that the team “needed him to score more,” but the reality is that he was still taking nearly every shot down the stretch even when it wasn’t needed. And as amazing as Kobe Bryant was as a player, he was not by any means the poster child of “ethical hoops.”

But back to Bam Adebayo. If you are that close to making history, everyone knows that if someone’s favorite player were in the exact same situation, both he and his team would have done the exact same thing. And regarding the intentional fouling late in the game, people also seem to forget that the Washington Wizards actually started that first by instantly fouling Bam’s teammates to stop him from getting the ball and scoring again. Bam himself was even seen telling his teammates not to foul for him on the other end.
Much of the hate that Bam and the Miami Heat have received over the game has largely come from people who simply lacked the full picture of what actually happened. Many of the people criticizing the performance clearly did not watch the entire game, yet they were still quick to question the legitimacy of the moment.
Meanwhile, several of the greatest players in the history of the sport—including Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Magic Johnson—were among those who praised the performance. Yet somehow, media outlets and Kobe stans (including some former and current NBA players who didn’t even watch the game) were expected to be taken more seriously than the legends of the game themselves.
Another factor that seems to have played a role in the backlash is who actually accomplished the feat. Bam has long been known primarily as a defensive anchor rather than an offensive superstar. Because of that, some people had a harder time accepting that he was the one who delivered such a historic scoring performance. If the same thing had been done by one of the league’s media-favored superstars, there likely would have been far less criticism surrounding it.
But regardless of how some people may feel, whether they simply dislike modern basketball or remain stuck in the past, nothing will ever take away that moment or that achievement from Bam Adebayo.

With Bam Adebayo and the Miami Heat being the center of attention around the league, they still had a job to do. Just two days later, Miami faced a healthier Milwaukee Bucks team, with Kel’el Ware being the only player the Heat regained from their injury list. Miami managed to thug it out and secure the win thanks to Pelle Larsson’s 28-point career night, but much of the attention was still focused on Bam after his historic performance.
Bam had a decent night overall, finishing with 21 points, but he struggled with his efficiency, shooting 6-for-20 from the field. Watching the game, it was clear that Bam was still feeling the effects of the previous game, as he looked gassed with little to no lift on many of his shots, often leaving them short. However, that did not stop him from delivering when it mattered most. In a tight game, Bam stepped up in the fourth quarter, scoring 13 points to help Miami close out the win, extend their winning streak to seven games, and remain in 6th place in the Eastern Conference.
So what’s next?
Just like Tyler Herro, Bam still has more to prove as the postseason approaches. As the playoffs get closer, both he and the Heat will look to maintain this momentum and finish the season strong. Miami still needs to keep stacking wins in order to stay out of the Play-In and give themselves the best chance at making a deeper playoff run.

— @PureHeatles on X

Bam Adebayo’s Career Stats