Avec 83 points, Adebayo surpasse Kobe Bryant et entre dans l'histoire de la NBA
Bam Adebayo scored 83 points for the Miami Heat on Tuesday in a victorious game against the Washington Wizards (150-129), the second-best individual performance in NBA history.
The Florida center's performance surpassed the 81 points scored by Kobe Bryant for the Los Angeles Lakers in a game against the Toronto Raptors in 2006.
The all-time record remains held by Wilt Chamberlain, who scored 100 points for the Philadelphia Warriors against the New York Knicks in 1962.
Adebayo hinted at an exceptional performance from the start with an electrifying first quarter, during which he scored 31 points on 16 shots, 10 of which were successful.
At halftime, he had reached 43 points. The Miami player continued his momentum after the break with 19 points in the third quarter, for a total of 62.
Adebayo finally broke the record set by Kobe Bryant 20 years ago at the end of the fourth quarter.
"I wish I could relive that twice," Adebayo said afterwards, adding that his individual achievement would not have been possible without the support of his family, fans and teammates.
"I couldn't have done it without them. Someone had to pass me the ball. I thank the coach for setting up combinations for me and I managed to exploit them tonight."
Adebayo admitted he sensed a historic performance was on the cards as early as the end of the first half, seeing it as the highlight of his career.
"This is (the) number one moment, that's for sure," he stated.
Edrice Femi "Bam" Adebayo, 28, is known as one of the most versatile defenders in the NBA. Born in Newark, New Jersey, he played one season in the NCAA with the Kentucky Wildcats before being drafted by the Miami Heat in 2017, where he has remained ever since.
"It's Wilt, me, then Kobe (...) It seems crazy," he confided, adding that he had thought about how the Lakers legend, who died in a helicopter crash in Los Angeles in 2020, would have reacted to his performance.
"I wonder what he would say (...) Because I've always wanted to have a conversation with him," Adebayo continued.
Miami coach Erik Spoelstra called it a "historic night".
"I am grateful that we were all able to witness it," he said, referring to his player's performance.
"I wanted him to share this moment with the public and to fully enjoy this historic evening in front of all the fans. So I didn't replace him until he reached Kobe's record," he explained.
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