Bam Adebayo Scores 83 Points, Second in NBA History Behind Chamberlain

Edrice "Bam" Adebayo, a High Point native and High Point Christian Academy graduate, put up the second-highest scoring game in NBA history Tuesday night, pouring in 83 points to lead the Miami Heat past the Washington Wizards 150-129. Only Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point performance in 1962 stands ahead of him in the record books.

Adebayo finished 20-of-43 from the field, connecting on seven three-pointers in 22 attempts and burying 36 of 43 free throws. ESPN reported those free-throw totals as new NBA records for most made and most attempted in a single game. He also grabbed nine rebounds, dished three assists, and added two steals and two blocks.

The night escalated at a stunning pace. Adebayo scored 31 points in the first quarter alone, setting a Miami Heat franchise record for most points in any quarter, then reached 43 by halftime. That halftime total already exceeded his previous career high of 41 points, which itself represented the combined output of his two best prior games (41 and 38). He ultimately set Heat franchise records for points in a quarter, a half, and a game, surpassing the previous franchise single-game mark of 61 set by LeBron James against the then-Charlotte Bobcats exactly 12 years and one week earlier.

Nationally, Adebayo's 83 passed Kobe Bryant's iconic 81-point game against the Toronto Raptors on January 22, 2006, placing him second all-time. ESPN noted he became the 11th different player in NBA history to score at least 70 points in a game, joining Chamberlain (six times), Bryant, Luka Dončić, David Thompson, Damian Lillard, Donovan Mitchell, David Robinson, Elgin Baylor, Joel Embiid, and Devin Booker. His 83 is also the highest single-game total by any active NBA player, eclipsing Dončić's 73-point effort in 2024.

For Guilford County, the performance carried an unmistakably local dimension. Adebayo grew up in High Point before spending his first three high school years at Northside High in Beaufort County, where as a junior he averaged 32.2 points and 21.0 rebounds per game. He transferred west to High Point Christian Academy for his senior year. His former coach at HPCA watched Tuesday's game in disbelief, according to an initial report, though no direct statement from the coach was available. Northside basketball fans may recall the then-teenager, listed in high school records as "Bamm...Bamm," helping Northside defeat Voyager Academy 66-62 in overtime during the NCHSAA East Regional 1-A Boys Semifinals at Crown Arena in Fayetteville on March 6, 2015.

Tuesday's win was Miami's sixth consecutive victory. ESPN offered a striking measure of the performance's rarity: eleven games this season ended with a team scoring fewer than 83 total points, most recently when the Milwaukee Bucks lost to the Boston Celtics 108-81 just last week.