Fresh off Tyler Herro Controversy, Bam Adebayo Makes Heartfelt Confession About Breaking Kobe Bryant's Record

Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo isn’t known as a scorer, but at the ESPYS he admitted how deeply it moved him to see his name alongside Kobe Bryant after his record-breaking 83-point game.

Adebayo’s performance against the Washington Wizards on March 10, 2026, shattered expectations. He poured in 83 points, surpassing Kobe Bryant’s legendary 81-point night in 2006. The feat was revisited during the ESPYS, where Adebayo was nominated for Best Single-Game Performance.

“Everybody is a fan of Kobe,” Adebayo said. “To have my name etched alongside his on that list… it was truly special,” he reflected, speaking about what it meant to break Bryant’s record and share that rare company.

Adebayo is only the second player in NBA history to cross the 80-point threshold, joining Bryant’s 81. Even prolific scorers like Devin Booker and Damian Lillard have topped out in the 70s, highlighting how rare this feat is.

But Adebayo’s career high did not come without any controversy, as he was accused by fans of stat-padding to get to 83 big points.

After the first half, he already had 43 points, which ensured he had already surpassed his previous career high of 41. At that point, his team was also already up by 14.

Despite the lead, he remained in the game, playing the entire third frame, during which he scored another 19, bringing his point total to 62. At some point during that quarter, the Heat’s lead had even ballooned up to 27.

Entering the fourth quarter, Adebayo remained on the court. In fact, he did not get subbed out until there was only a minute and eight seconds left in the game, despite the Heat having established a 28-point advantage midway through the final frame.

By the time he was subbed out, he had attempted 43 field goals, sinking 20. Adebayo also fired off 22 3-pointers, but made only 7.

Aside from the fact that he was kept on the court despite the team already pretty much securing the win, some fans were also critical of the fact that he took 43 free throws to get to his career high.

His best scoring output being questioned wouldn’t be the only time he would be embroiled in a controversy this year.

The Heat center also attracted media attention after he reportedly got into a physical altercation with former teammate Tyler Herro.

What Happened Between Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo?

All-Star guard Tyler Herro appears to still be hurting after the Miami Heat decided to include him in the deal to acquire Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The pain he was feeling from being dealt manifested when he got into a physical altercation with former teammate Bam Adebayo.

The former teammates ran into each other at a practice court in Las Vegas on Friday, July 10, per ESPN Insider Shams Charania. When the two crossed paths, Adebayo reportedly confronted Herro about comments he made after the trade.

According to an article by Erich Richter of the New York Post, Adebayo did not like Herro's reply, which led to the former striking the latter.

Herro was a critical piece to the Heat's plans in recent years, leading up to the trade.

He emerged as a potent go-to perimeter scorer, complementing Adebayo's interior-centric style of play.

The 6-foot-5 guard emerged as an important piece to Erik Spoelstra's plans in 2022-23, which was the first year he was named a full-time starter.

During that season, he put up 20.1 points and 4.2 assists through 67 outings, all of which were as a member of the starting five. However, he wouldn't be able to participate in most of the postseason after suffering a hand injury in the very first playoff game.

Despite his absence, Miami would go on to reach the NBA Finals. However, they would be eliminated in five games by the Denver Nuggets led by Nikola Jokic.