Adebayo on His 83-Point Game: “Kobe Bryant Would Have Congratulated Me”
Bam Adebayo responds to the controversy surrounding his 83-point game against Washington. The Miami Heat center believes Kobe Bryant would have reacted very differently from the critics
The 83-point game by Bam Adebayo against the Washington Wizards continues to spark debate. The achievement by the Miami Heat big man, who surpassed the 81 points scored by Kobe Bryant in 2006, has been accompanied by criticism and controversy over how the record was built.
Adebayo, however, has a clear belief: in his view, Kobe Bryant would have appreciated the performance.
During an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show, the Miami center explained how he imagines the reaction of the Los Angeles Lakers legend would have been.
If the dead could speak, I firmly believe that Kobe would tell me: ‘Congratulations, kid, you did something I thought nobody could come close to for the next 40 or 50 years.’
Bam Adebayo
The Kobe Bryant precedent with LeBron James
Of course, no one can truly know how Bryant would have reacted. There is, however, an interesting clue.
The last message posted by Kobe Bryant on social media before his tragic passing in January 2020 was a congratulatory message to LeBron James, who had just passed him on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
A gesture that says a lot about the respect Bryant showed to those who managed to surpass his milestones.
According to host Dan Patrick, however, the competitive mentality of the Lakers legend might have produced a different reaction.
He wouldn’t have wanted you to stop at 81. He probably would’ve told you to go chase 90
Dan Patrick
The criticism of the 83-point performance
Not everyone, however, appreciated how the record-setting performance came together.
Former Los Angeles Lakers player Robert Horry openly discussed the possibility of putting an “asterisk” next to Adebayo’s 83 points, even while acknowledging how difficult it is to reach such a number.
Most of the controversy centers on the fourth quarter of the game.
Miami kept Adebayo on the floor despite holding a lead of more than twenty points for much of the final quarter. The Heat also committed fouls to stop the clock and create additional possessions, while forward Keshad Johnson even intentionally missed a free throw in an attempt to recover the ball.
The Miami center also spent plenty of time at the line: 14 points on 16 free throws in the fourth quarter, finishing with an incredible 36-of-43 from the free-throw line, an NBA single-game record for both attempts and makes.
Nick Young: “I would’ve stopped at 81”
Among the harshest critics was Nick Young, another former teammate of Bryant with the Lakers.
Young criticized both Adebayo and the Wizards, whom he blamed for allowing such a performance.
He’s good, but he’s not 83-points good. Come on, we’re talking about Kobe. Kobe’s probably rolling in his grave right now thinking: what the… Did you see when he was chasing 74 points? That was insane. Get out of the game, you’re up 30… If I had gotten to 81, I would’ve stopped there
Nick Young
According to the former guard, Bryant would not have appreciated how the game was managed, even saying that he personally would have stopped at 81 points out of respect for the record.
Bam Adebayo’s response to the critics
Adebayo, however, has no intention of downplaying his historic night.
According to the three-time All-Star, part of the criticism comes from the fact that few people expected such an explosion from him.
Probably because I wasn’t part of the agenda. It shocked the world because I’m not the type of player people glorify as a great scorer. And I know they’ll also say I shot a lot of free throws
Bam Adebayo
The Heat big man also pointed out that during the fourth quarter the Wizards had cut the deficit to 13 points, which is why he remained on the floor.
Records, controversy and opportunity
It’s true that Miami’s lead quickly climbed back above twenty points just a few minutes later. But in the modern NBA, when a player has the chance to enter history, he rarely gives up the opportunity.
For many observers, it’s simply stat-padding, inflating the numbers.
Others see it differently: when you find yourself in front of a once-in-a-lifetime night, you try to push it as far as possible. Because you never know if it will ever happen again.
And perhaps it is precisely this competitive mindset that most closely mirrors the philosophy of Kobe Bryant.