NBA world reacts to Bam Adebayo's historic, wild 83-point game
Who?!?
That was everybody's reaction to the news that Miami’s Bam Adebayo scored 83 and passed Kobe Bryant for the second-most points scored in an NBA game. If you had given me 100 choices before the season to name the player I thought would score 83 in a game, I'm not sure I would have named Adebayo — he would have been fourth or fifth on his own team.
As it happened and the news spread around the league, reactions started pouring in from fellow players and former teammates.
Bro what
— Jalen Brunson (@jalenbrunson1) March 11, 2026
83 for CAP pic.twitter.com/wdoptsezDp
— DWade (@DwyaneWade) March 11, 2026
"I couldn't believe it when I was hearing it in real time. … Congrats to Bam."
KD's reaction to Bam Adebayo scoring 83 points ❤️ pic.twitter.com/b3syWVjTzr
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) March 11, 2026
BAM BAM BAM
— LeBron James (@KingJames) March 11, 2026
DAMIAN LILLARD: "At the Olympics, Bam was like 'I'm trying to average 30.'
"I literally said to him 'you think you're a 30-point scorer like that?'
"When I was watching him (tonight) I'm like 'maybe he knew something I didn't know.'… A'ja been working with him."
— NBA (@NBA) March 11, 2026
YEAHHH @Bam1of1 ‼️‼️‼️
— Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) March 11, 2026
Not everyone loved it, or how it went down.
"In the fourth quarter, it turned into not a real basketball game," Wizards coach Brian Keefe said after his team let Bam walk all over them. "They obviously kept him in the game, and there was a lot of foul calls, 16 free throws in the fourth quarter… He still got some free throws 40 feet from the rim. Can't explain some of those calls, but that's all I've got to say on that."
"I walked in [the Lakers coach's office] and I saw the score. He was at the free throw line, and I saw the score, and they've been playing great basketball lately, and I said to my coaching staff, 'He's rolling'" Lakers coach JJ Redick said. "They all kind of looked at each other. They're like, Are you kidding? Right now? I was like, 'No, what's up? They're like, they're 36 and 28 or wherever they are. They're getting ready to be 37 and 28,' and they're like, 'No, Bam has 77' and I was like, huh? And I watched the last three minutes, and that was a different type of basketball."
Other people were sticking up for Bam, or just congratulating him.
Loved every minute of Bam’s 83. The absurd possessions. The home broadcast raving about his unselfishness when he made a pass. Spo’s ridiculous challenge. Fouling up 20+ to stop the clock. The bombs from 3. Washington fouling a different player so Bam wouldn’t get the shot. The…
— Russillo (@ryenarussillo) March 11, 2026
That was dope watching @Bam1of1 shoot his way into history…. Congrats young fella….
— Vince Carter (@mrvincecarter15) March 11, 2026
83 Adebayo
— Victor Oladipo (@VicOladipo) March 11, 2026
@Bam1of1 going CRAZY
— Karl-Anthony Towns (@KarlTowns) March 11, 2026
Still, in the end, a lot of people were still just thinking, "Bam got 83? Bam?"
83?????
— Dirk Nowitzki (@swish41) March 11, 2026









