MIAMI (USA) - Bam Adebayo can now bask in the glow of scoring 83 points in a single NBA game!
He pulled off the feat for the Miami Heat on Tuesday night in their 150-129 win over the Washington Wizards.
Epic.
The only person to score more points than Bam Adebayo in an NBA game is Wilt Chamberlain, who had 100 for the Philadelphia Warriors when they beat the New York Knicks 169–147 in 1962.
Did anyone see this coming from Bam? Probably no one that has followed him playing international basketball. Adebayo has always been hailed for his hustle, his relentless approach while attacking the boards and his defense. And when needed, he has also scored.
But nothing close to 83 points in a USA jersey, when he played for the gold-medal winning Americans at the 2021 Tokyo Games or the 2024 Olympics in France.
In Japan, Adebayo was primarily a defensive anchor and a versatile big. Just once did he reach double digits in that event, although he did have a double-double in that game - the opener against France.
Adebayo had 12 points on 5 of 8 shooting from the floor, and he was 2 of 4 from the line. He also corralled 10 rebounds. The Americans fell to Les Bleus in that contest, 83-76.
He was single-digit scoring Bam the rest of the way.
In the next five outings, all USA wins, Adebayo never attempted more than 6 shots. He had had 6 points in the next two games against Iran and Czechia, 5 against Spain in the Quarter-Finals, 3 against Australia in the Semi-Finals and 6 against the French in the Gold Medal Game, which the Americans narrowly won, 87-82.
Three years later and Adebayo was back with the USA again, with an even stronger team at the Olympics in France, and once again only had one scoring game in double digits.
Against South Sudan, the USA's second game of the tournament, Adebayo poured in 18 points on 8 of 10 shooting from the floor. He was even 2 of 3 from behind the arc in that game.
At those Games, Adebayo was still viewed as a valuable role player on a star-studded USA men's national basketball team that had LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant. His defense, energy, and adaptability made him a valuable member of the team, even if his scoring did not reflect that.
After South Sudan, his next highest points total was 9 in a Quarter-Final triumph over Brazil, when he was 4 of 8 from the floor, including 1 of 3 from deep.
Adebayo only played 9 minutes in each of the last two games, the USA's 95-91 come-from-behind win over Serbia in the Semi-Finals and 98-87 Gold Medal Game win over France.
After missing a couple of shots from the field against Serbia, including an attempt from 3-point range, Adebayo had 2 points against the French, making his only attempt from the floor, a thunderous dunk.
Could Adebayo's 83 points for Miami, who are led by his new USA coach, Erik Spoelstra, impact his role with the national team? Could this be a turning point in his career with the red, white and blue?
It stands to reason that if Adebayo plays at the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Qatar, he'd have the perfect stage to show off his offensive progress.
There will be no three-time Olympic champion LeBron, who has announced he's not going to play any more for the national team, and it remains to be seen if two-time World Cup winner Curry plays, or 2010 World Cup MVP Durant does as well.
Adebayo's epic display may have, indeed, changed the way he's viewed as a basketball player.
FIBA