The NBA’s 80-point club was often thought to be an Everest-esque summit, with Wilt Chamberlain (100 points) and Kobe Bryant (81 points) seemingly on another level compared to their peers. However, one man has entered the esteemed group; it’s just not who you think it is. 

You’d likely name 34 players before Bam Adebayo comes to mind, and that is the number of players who currently average more points per game than Adebayo, who sits at a clean 20.0 points per game. The three-time NBA All-Star’s feat has generated awe and drawn criticism, although much of the flak has come with the circumstances behind the record-setting performance rather than the achievement itself. 

No one is faulting Adebayo for taking advantage of whatever the Washington Wizards defense gave him nor was he to blame with how the game was called or how Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra let him play for the record. After all, Adebayo would have been a fool to let this opportunity go to waste. 

Adebayo’s game is a fit for today’s game, as his versatility allows him to power his way for easy baskets, while his jumpshot can extend to the occasional 3-pointer that spreads defenses and creates driving lanes for him and his teammates. 

Scoring is up in the NBA, with the 115.3 points per game in 2025-2026 being the highest in nearly 60 years. An 80-point game was likely to return with the surge in points and it certainly helped that Adebayo was aggressive from the jump. One would think his record 36 free throws made (on 43 attempts, also a record) is a function of a free-throw heavy league, but the 18.5 made free throws per game is one of the historical lows. 

Nevertheless, free throws have been subject to heated debates on not just how games are called, but also “ethical basketball”, which focuses on playing a team-oriented style of play rather than one that abuses loopholes and is characterized by foul-hunting. And Adebayo’s performance certainly added some fuel to the fire. 

For a guy that has never averaged more than 20.4 points per game in his career, Adebayo has certainly exceeded expectations. Then again, the two-time Olympic gold medallist’s career has pretty much been like that. From overachieving after being selected with the 14th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft to emerging as the franchise cornerstone with the Heat, Adebayo has now firmly entrenched himself in Miami’s record books in ways that have exceeded even Heat players like Dwayne Wade and LeBron James. 

Sky’s the limit for Bam Adebayo, even if he is not a household name like some of his peers. And yet, a performance like that against the Washington Wizards has put on the map, for better or for worse. None of that may matter to Adebayo, who has gotten to where he is by playing his game and letting it do the talking. And the record he now has in his backpocket is reverberating through the NBA.