Out of all the explosive and creative scorers the game has ever seen, who would have thought it would be Bam Adebayo, a player who has never even averaged 21 points a game, topping Kobe Bryant’s legendary 83-point performance? But he did exactly that.
Adebayo now joins Wilt Chamberlain and Kobe Bryant in one of the most exclusive scoring conversations the league has ever seen. Interestingly, many players, including Kevin Durant and LeBron James, applauded the moment, but not everyone around the league is comfortable with it.
Former NBA forward Gordon Hayward was among the critics. He believes a player like Bam Adebayo, who has never been known as a scorer, breaking Kobe’s record does not reflect well on the league.
“I think Bam is one of the best two-way players in the league at his position, but he’s not a scorer, right? So for him to break Kobe’s record, I don’t think it’s great for the league. I think it kind of highlights how they’re already struggling. It kind of feels like a pickup game when you’re watching. And for him to shoot 43 free throws and 22 threes, when that’s not what he does, it almost feels like… and again, the Wizards too. With all these teams tanking, it kind of makes it feel not legit, I guess, is what I would say.”
Gordon Hayward says Bam Adebayo scoring 83 isn’t great for the league and doesn’t feel legitimate
“I think Bam is one of the best two-way players in the league at his position, but he’s not a scorer, right? So for him to break Kobe’s record, I don’t think it’s great for the… pic.twitter.com/L9rbcHTPLR
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) March 12, 2026
