March 10, 2026, is a date that Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo will remember for the rest of his life. Adebayo went off for 83 points in the Heat’s 150-129 win over the Washington Wizards on Tuesday to pass Kobe Bryant for the second-highest scoring game in NBA history.
While Adebayo has to settle for second spot there behind Wilt Chamberlain, there is another list that he has gotten to the top of. The 28-year-old went 36-43 from the charity stripe and broke the record for most free throws attempted in a single game. Here is what that list looks like now after Adebayo’s outing against the Wizards.
1. Bam Adebayo: 43 FTA in 2026
T2. Dwight Howard: 39 FTA in 2012
T2. Dwight Howard: 39 FTA in 2013
4. Andre Drummond: 36 FTA in 2016
T5. DeAndre Jordan: 34 FTA in 2015
T5. Wilt Chamberlain: 34 FTA in 1962
T7. Wilt Chamberlain: 32 FTA in 1962
T7. Giannis Antetokounmpo: 32 FTA in 2023
T9. Wilt Chamberlain: 31 FTA in 1961
T9. Adrian Dantley: 31 FTA in 1983
T9. Shaquille O’Neal: 31 FTA in 1999
Hall of Famer Dwight Howard previously held this record after attempting 39 free throws on two separate occasions. While Adebayo wanted to go to the line and was even foul-baiting at times, that wasn’t the case with Howard. He was being intentionally fouled because he was a poor free-throw shooter, and that was the case for a few others on this list as well, like Andre Drummond and DeAndre Jordan.
Chamberlain is the man who features the most on there, and one of those entries is quite significant. He famously went 28-32 from the free-throw line for the Philadelphia Warriors when he set the NBA record by scoring 100 points against the New York Knicks on March 2, 1962.
Chamberlain was a terrible free-throw shooter, but got hot one night and made history. His 28 makes at the charity stripe were also a record at that time, and Adrian Dantley matched it in 1984. Dantley had come extremely close to it a year earlier as well, as he made 27 when he attempted 31 in 1983.
Adebayo went past Chamberlain and Dantley for makes as well here. His shooting all those free throws has led to this accomplishment being diminished. For some context, only 14 teams have taken more free throws in a game this season. When Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka was asked about the 83-point game, he stated the free throws told the story.
Adebayo attempted 16 free throws in the fourth quarter as he looked to pass Bryant, who scored 81 points for the Los Angeles Lakers against the Toronto Raptors on Jan. 22, 2006. Lakers fans weren’t all too pleased by this, with the crowd at Crypto.com Arena booing when the three-time All-Star’s achievement was announced.
You’d imagine Adebayo, who also had nine rebounds, three assists, two steals, and two blocks against the Wizards, wouldn’t be the least bit bothered by that. He has the highest-scoring game in modern NBA history, and no one can take that away from him.
