As the Miami Heat were missing several key players against the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night, Heat captain Bam Adebayo knew he had to put on the cape to lead his team to victory. I mean, it's not like he needed to score 80 points or anything, but he did need to have a star performance to make up for their absences.
Except he did. Yes, Bam Adebayo of all people scored 83 points on Tuesday, passing Kobe Bryant for the second-highest scoring performance in NBA history.
Adebayo started off with a 31-point first quarter and just never slowed down. An already-career day turned into one of the most prolific performances in the history of the sport.
A regular matchup that nobody was likely eyeing outside the franchise fanbases turned into a night no one could ignore.
"Bam Adebayo broke Kobe’s record and y’all think we not in the end times," one fan tweeted. "Start getting right with God before its too late!
And the Wizards were equally just as clowned. A miserable season hits a seemingly new low, as the entire NBA world watched Adebayo dominate the entire evening.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, still stunned by the night, spoke about Adebayo's historic night. As the game progressed and records continued to shatter, his focus shifted to letting Adebayo have his all-time moment.
"It was just an absolutely surreal night," Spoelstra said. "Obviously, we've been blessed to have been a part of a lot of big moments in this arena. This one...just happened. I'm grateful that we were all able to witness it. He had a monster first quarter and then 43 at halftime. We just talked about continuing to play our game, and the ball was finding him. Once he got 50, then we're thinking maybe he can get to 60. Then it was like, we might as well go for 70. And then I didn't dare even think about taking him out at that point. I didn't stop until once he got Kobe's."
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Jayden Armant is a contributor to HeatRoundtable. He can be reached at jaydenshome14@gmail.com or on Twitter @jaydenarmant.