The debate around Bam Adebayo’s historic 83-point performance continues to divide the basketball world, and former NBA guard Nick Young has now joined the chorus of critics who were not impressed with how the record was broken.
Adebayo shocked the league with his massive scoring explosion in the Miami Heat’s 150-129 win over the Washington Wizards, surpassing the legendary 81-point game recorded by Kobe Bryant in 2006. The performance now stands as the second-highest scoring game in NBA history, trailing only Wilt Chamberlain’s iconic 100-point game.
But Young, a former teammate of Bryant on the Los Angeles Lakers, did not hold back while reacting to the moment, on the Gils Arena show:
“Hey, man. F**k Bam man and the Wizards. F**k all that s**t. All that records supposed to be broken? Hell no. Did you see that? The Wizards. See, I be talking about the Wizards. Y’all always support the Wizards. F**king G League team. French n***a getting dumped on the whole time and s**t. Playing no defense.”
“He nice, but he’s not 83 nice. Like, come on, man. This is Kobe. Kobe probably rolling over in his grave right now like, you… f**k that. You see how he was going for that 74? That was nasty. Get out the game, you’re winning by 30… If I had 81, I would have stopped. I’m not trying to get fouled with one minute left. One minute left, up 30. They are triple-teaming him, and he still gets the ball. How bad you gotta be to beat the Wizards?”
Young’s criticism focused less on Adebayo’s talent and more on the context of the performance. He argued that the Wizards’ defense was so poor that the game itself felt meaningless from a competitive standpoint. He also took issue with the fact that Adebayo continued chasing points late in the game even as Miami held a massive lead.
According to Young, chasing a record in a blowout crossed a line of sportsmanship. He even suggested that if he were in Adebayo’s position, he would have stopped earlier out of respect for Bryant’s historic performance.
Adebayo finished the night with 83 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two steals, and two blocks while shooting 20-for-43 from the field and hitting seven three-pointers. He also went to the free throw line an incredible 43 times, converting 36 attempts.
Some critics have pointed to that free-throw total as evidence that the record came in unusual circumstances. Others argued that the Wizards’ defense played a major role in allowing such a historic performance. But supporters of Adebayo see it very differently.
Breaking records in sports has never required perfect conditions. When a player has a chance to make history, the expectation is simple: go get it.
Adebayo did exactly that.
It did not matter whether the Heat were up by 30, 40, or even more. Records are not awarded based on how close the game is. They are earned by taking advantage of the opportunity in front of you.
Many fans also pointed out that Bryant himself was known for chasing scoring milestones and never apologizing for dominating opponents. Kobe’s legendary mentality was built on pushing the limits of what was possible on a basketball court.
Even LeBron James and several other NBA stars celebrated the moment, congratulating Adebayo on his historic night.
Ultimately, the debate will continue, especially among Lakers fans who hold Bryant’s 81-point masterpiece as one of the most iconic performances in NBA history. But regardless of the criticism, one fact cannot be changed.
Bam Adebayo now owns the second-highest scoring game in NBA history, and his name will forever sit above Kobe Bryant’s in the record books. Whether people like it or not, that piece of history is permanent.
