Bam Adebayo has sent a shockwave throughout the league with his 83-point game against the Wizards tonight. Several NBA stars were in awe of what he pulled off in Miami tonight.
On an emotional day for Adebayo, the NBA world suddenly seemed divided over the quality of his performance. He had nine rebounds, three assists, two steals, and two blocks to go with his 83 points tonight. He shot 20-43 from the floor (46.5 FG%) and 7-22 from beyond the three-point range (31.5 3P%).
But the most noteworthy figure that drew criticism from not just Kobe Bryant’s fans but several voices across the league was his free-throw statistics. He had 36 of his 83 points from the free-throw line, where he got 43 attempts.
Among the several people who seemed unimpressed by Adebayo’s achievement was the Rockets’ head coach, Ime Udoka. Following the Rockets’ 113-99 win over the Raptors tonight, Udoka spoke to the media and seemingly threw shade on Adebayo’s historic night.
“First thing you think is how? Not because of him, but because of the way he plays. I saw he only made six threes but 40 free throws or something like that, tells the story right there and… the Washington Wizards.”
Udoka not only questioned his shooting numbers but also threw shade on the opponent against which Adebayo was able to break this record.
These comments left a bitter taste in the mouths of Adebayo’s fans, who flooded social media with reactions criticizing Udoka for his candor about Adebayo’s performance.
“Hater.”
“I’m crying, this dude is still salty from all that belt he received as Celtics HC and the game two weeks ago when they got embarrassed.”
“Dude still salty for when we put B2A to his team last week.”
“Ime is still mad that we own him.”
“Stop hating, man. We’re seeing SGA foul-bating every night, and he can’t have 50, congrats to Adebayo.”
“Why are you hating? 83 points are impressive regardless.”
Various such reactions filled the internet after Bam Adebayo’s historic night overshadowed the Rockets’ victory. Some fans believed these comments from Udoka were a result of his pent-up aggression from losing to the Heat a few days ago.
On February 28, the Rockets lost 105-115 to the Heat on the road as well. Adebayo had 24 points, 11 rebounds, and shot 9-17 from the floor in that game.
While Udoka was not alone in feeling this way, several voices in the league also defended the quality of his performance. Among them was Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The Bucks’ star spoke to the media after the game and seemingly defended Adebayo from the criticism he’s facing for the number of free throws he attempted in the game.
“It doesn’t matter how you get there. All that matters is that you got it,” said Antetokounmpo.
“Like in 10, 20, 30 years from now, nobody’s going to remember how many free throws he shot. I don’t think I remember how many shots Kobe shot or how many free throws he made or even threes. All you remeber is 81. Wilt, 100. You don’t remember (how).”
“So at the end of the day, he got 83 points,” concluded the Greek star.
“We’ll try not to let him score 83. He’s going to score 82. So, we’ll do our best for him to score 82, not 83,” joked Antetokounmpo while hinting that he believes this performance is not a fluke.
There were rumors before the trade deadline that Antetokounmpo was interested in playing with Bam Adebayo. I don’t want to jump to conclusions, but clearly, Antetokounmpo appreciates what the Heat is doing with Adebayo.
Therefore, it is evident that this 83-point masterclass from Adebayo has the NBA world divided. Where do you stand on this historic performance from the Heat’s star? Let us know in the comments section.
