Since January 22, 2006, Kobe Bryant has held the second-highest scoring output in NBA history after dropping 81 points against Jalen Rose and the Toronto Raptors. After two decades, that record was broken by the most unlikely of players: Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo, who fired 83 points against the Washington Wizards on March 11, 2026.
Naturally, fans are already debating which game was better: Adebayo’s historic 83 points against the lowly Wizards or Bryant’s legendary 81 points against a weak Raptors team?
Many couldn’t believe how Adebayo was able to pull this off, and that includes NBA stars like LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Jalen Brunson. But how did he really do it? Let’s look at the numbers.
Adebayo: Free Throws, Free Throws, More Free Throws
Adebayo went to the free-throw line a lot during the match against the Wizards on Wednesday. The 28-year-old Olympian went to the stripe 43 times and converted 36 easy points, setting the record for both free-throw attempts and free throws made in a single game.
Well, to be fair, the Washington Wizards were hacking Adebayo every chance they could get just to prevent him from scoring easy baskets. They looked like they had no answer for Adebayo in the paint, which the Heat took advantage of.
That means Bam scored 36 points off of free throws alone. In comparison, Kobe Bryant only made 18 free throws in his 81-point outing 20 years ago.
Kobe Had the More Efficient 80-Point Game
Kobe and efficient scoring don’t always belong in the same sentence, but during his 81-point outburst in 2006, he was extra efficient. The late great superstar was 28-for-46 from the field (60.9%) and was 7-for-13 from long range (53.8%).
Meanwhile, Adebayo was just chucking a lot of shots in the fourth and went 20-for-43 from the field (46.5%) and 7-for-22 from the three-point line (31.8%).
Adebayo Feat Divides Fans
NBA fans are already divided right now, with some calling Kobe’s performance a masterclass while slamming Adebayo and calling his 83 points a disgrace to the game. A lot of pundits, analysts, and fellow NBA players didn’t take Bam’s 43 free-throw attempts nicely. Not only was it too much, it was way more than the NBA average for every team.
But that wouldn’t take away any merit from Adebayo’s dominance against Washington. From the get-go, the 6-foot-9 big man was already in a different zone. He scored 31 points in the first quarter and proceeded to surpass his career-high by putting up 43 points even before halftime. By the end of the third quarter, Bam already had 62 points.
However, those who watched the final five minutes of the game witnessed how Erik Spoelstra and the Heat orchestrated a career game made for Adebayo. Instead of letting their star big man sit after obtaining a huge lead, Adebayo was allowed to continue to play. His teammates would try to extend the time by intentionally fouling the Wizards and let Adebayo make a shot on the other end.
It was looking awesome in the first three quarters but quickly became cringe in the final moments. Some fans even say that Luka Doncic’s career-high 73 points in 2024 was a way better game.
On the other hand, Kobe ethically parading every move against the Raptors was already immortalized for every 2000s basketball fan, and although that’s still far from Wilt Chamberlain’s infamous 100-point game, Kobe’s 81 was already a Hall of Famer in its own right.
That is the reason why Kobe Bryant’s 81 points, despite being passed by Bam Adebayo’s 83, will always be one of the most unforgettable moments in NBA history.
