Recently, Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo lit the NBA world on fire with a historic 83-point scoring performance against the Washington Wizards. The outburst moved him into second place all-time for the single-game scoring record, behind only Wilt Chamberlain's iconic 100-point game.
Still, not everyone is thrilled with the way Adebayo got to the point total, which included a plethora of free throws, and him staying in the game well into garbage time. Among those who are detracting from the performance is former NBA wing Gordon Hayward.
“I think Bam is one of the best two-way players in the league at his position, but he’s not a scorer, right? So for him to break Kobe’s record, I don’t think it’s great for the league. I think it kind of highlights how they’re already struggling. It kind of feels like a pickup game when you’re watching,” said Hayward, per UNSPORTSMANLIKE on X, formerly Twitter.
Indeed, there were several bizarre tactics used down the stretch of this game to help get Adebayo across the finish line, including his teammates intentionally fouling the Wizards in order to save time for more possessions.
“And for him to shoot 43 free throws and 22 threes, when that’s not what he does, it almost feels like… and again, the Wizards too. With all these teams tanking, it kind of makes it feel not legit, I guess, is what I would say,” added Hayward.
Hayward was not the only one to express such an opinion, as many fans of Kobe Bryant attempted to undermine Adebayo's performance in order to preserve the legacy of Bryant's iconic 81-point game 20 years ago.
Still, history will likely remember the 83 points that Adebayo put on the board, and not the means by which he got there.
