Bam! Heat's Adebayo scores 83 points, 2nd only to Wilt Chamberlain in NBA history

MIAMI (AP) — It's Wilt, then Bam.

Bam Adebayo had a night for all time on Tuesday, with a point total second to only Wilt Chamberlain in the NBA record books. Adebayo scored 83 points, setting league marks for free throws made and attempted in a game for the Miami Heat in a 150-129 win over the Washington Wizards.

“An absolutely surreal night,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “Obviously, we’ve been blessed to have been part of a lot of big moments in this arena. This one, it just happened. Moments happen and I’m grateful that we’re all able to be a part of it and witness it.”

Chamberlain's record of 100 points has stood since 1962. Kobe Bryant — one of Adebayo's basketball heroes — was No. 2 on the list with 81. Adebayo never thought he'd be in that club.

And then came a night he'll never forget.

“Wilt, me, then Kobe,” Adebayo said. “It sounds crazy.”

Adebayo’s final numbers: 20 of 43 from the field, 36 of 43 from the foul line, 7 for 22 from 3-point range.

He was in tears as he hugged his mother, Marilyn Blount, before leaving the floor after the game. Emotions were kept in check, until then.

“For me, it was just remaining calm, remaining locked in and understanding that I can go for something special,” Adebayo said. “I didn’t think it was going to be 83. But to have this moment is surreal, because like I said, man, to be able to do it at home, in front of my mom, in front of my people, in front of the home fans, this is a mark in history that will forever be remembered.”

Adebayo's career high, before Monday, was 41.

That was passed by halftime.

“I looked at the stat sheet. It was pretty crazy: 40 shots, 40 free throws, 20 3s, that takes a lot of stamina, man," Houston star and Adebayo's USA Basketball teammate Kevin Durant said. “It takes a lot of energy to go out there and put those shots up and also make them, set a record, surpass Kobe as the second highest-scoring player in the history of the game. I mean, damn. Congrats to him. Huge, huge accomplishment, something we're going to be talking about forever.”

Adebayo started with a 31-point first quarter and never stopped rolling. He was up to 43 at halftime, 62 by the end of the third quarter. And then came the fourth, when the milestones kept falling despite facing double-, triple- and what once appeared to be a quadruple-team from a Wizards defense that kept sending him to the foul line.

“BAM BAM BAM,” former Heat forward LeBron James posted on social media. James had the Heat single-game record of 61 points, set on March 3, 2014. He's now No. 2 on the team list — by a wide margin.

The NBA's previous best this season was 56, by Nikola Jokic for Denver against Minnesota on Christmas night. The last player to have 62 points through three quarters was Bryant, who had exactly that many going into the fourth for the Los Angeles Lakers against Dallas on Dec. 20, 2005.

Adebayo got to the line 16 times in the fourth, and the game had some comical moments. The Heat made clear they kept wanting Adebayo to get the ball and get to the line, even in a blowout. The Wizards tried to foul others — but couldn't stop the scoring onslaught.

“You’ve got to give him credit," Wizards coach Brian Keefe said. "In the first half he shot the ball terrific, he scored the ball really well. Obviously, he came out and had a little bit in the third, too. They obviously kept him in the game, and there was a lot of fouls called — 16 free throws in the fourth quarter. I was trying to take the ball out of his hands, he still got some free throws 40 feet from the rim. I can’t explain some of those calls. That’s all I got to say on that.”

And Adebayo only needed the first half to set a career high, too.

Adebayo's 31 points in the opening quarter broke the Heat record for points in any quarter — and tied the team record for points in a first half before the second quarter even started.

He finished the first half with 43 points, a team record for any half and two points better than his previous career high — for a full game, that is — set Jan. 23, 2021, against Brooklyn.

Adebayo’s season high entering Tuesday was 32. He matched that with a free throw with 5:53 left in the second quarter, breaking the Heat first-half scoring record.

He was just getting started.

“I would say once he got to 50, then we’re thinking, all right, maybe he can get to 60,” Spoelstra said.

He got to 60, late in the third.

“And when he got to 60, it just kept on going,” Spoelstra said. “We might as well go for 70.”

He got to 70,

“And then, I didn’t dare even think about taking him out at that point,” Spoelstra said. “We just kept on going.”

When Spoelstra finally declared Adebayo's night over, he was waiting to greet the center with a big hug. Teammates did the same, as did some of the Wizards after the final buzzer. Adebayo made his way over to Heat managing general partner Micky Arison for congratulations, before eventually getting to the locker room.

Everyone wanted his jersey, which he kept. The game ball was secured. The nets were cut down as souvenirs. A'ja Wilson, Adebayo's longtime girlfriend and the four-time WNBA MVP, could barely keep from crying.

“I know he says that I’m his inspiration,” Wilson said. “But I don’t think he has a clue how much he inspires me to continue to be the person that I am.”

Finally, Adebayo made his way to the parking garage, exhausted. He never had an opportunity to meet Bryant, who died in 2020, and often wonders what it would be like to have him as a confidant. He had those same thoughts Tuesday, after topping Bryant's 81.

“Just a surreal moment,” Adebayo said, “being in the company with somebody I idolized growing up.”

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra hugs center Bam Adebayo (13) as he leaves the game after scoring 83 points, the second-highest single game total in NBA history, in the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Washington Wizards, Tuesday, March 10, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo, right, celebrates with teammates after he scored 83 points, the second-highest single game total in NBA history, in an NBA basketball game against the Washington Wizards, Tuesday, March 10, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra, center, and players react during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Washington Wizards, as center Bam Adebayo (13) plays on his way to scoring 83 points, the second-highest single game total in NBA history, in an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, March 10, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Fans and Miami Heat players on the bench stand to watch as center Bam Adebayo (13) takes a free throw, on his way to scoring 83 points, the second-highest single game total in NBA history, in an NBA basketball game against the Washington Wizards, Tuesday, March 10, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Miami Heat teammates celebrate center Bam Adebayo (13) after he scored 83 points, the second-highest single game total in NBA history, in an NBA basketball game against the Washington Wizards, Tuesday, March 10, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) passes to forward Myron Gardner (15) as Washington Wizards center Alex Sarr looks on during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, March 10, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) aims to score as Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren (0) defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, March 8, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

JACKSON, Ga. (AP) — Georgia Republicans delivered a split decision for Donald Trump in Tuesday runoffs, opting for the president’s preferred U.S. Senate candidate but rejecting his choice for governor in favor of a billionaire first-time candidate who spent freely from his personal fortune to win the nomination.

In the Senate race, Rep. Mike Collins, 58, topped former football coach Derek Dooley and advanced to face Sen. Jon Ossoff, the only Senate Democrat running for reelection in a state that Trump won two years ago. The outcome will help determine control of Capitol Hill for the final years of Trump’s second presidency.

For governor, healthcare tycoon Rick Jackson, 71, outpaced Lt. Gov. Burt Jones after spending about $100 million of his own money on the campaign. That investment ultimately outweighed Jones' backing from the president. Jackson will face Democratic nominee and former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms in November.

Trump, who endorsed Jones nearly a year ago and Collins two days before the runoff, is poised to be a fault line in both general election contests. The president was notably absent in Republicans’ remarks on Tuesday, however, a shift from other primary nights where candidates paid homage to their party's leader despite his sagging approval ratings.

Collins, a second-term congressman, is a self-described “MAGA warrior” and echoes Trump’s false claims that his 2020 election loss in Georgia was rigged. Yet when celebrating in his hometown, Collins thanked his wife, children, grandchildren, siblings, friends, supporters and staffers — but never the president. He even touted his bipartisanship and pitched himself as a sound conservative who can achieve progress by “building coalitions and finding common ground.” And he promised to campaign in “every ZIP code and every community” of this closely divided state.

Ossoff, first elected during the 2020 cycle, has made Trump a focal point, blasting him as a “national embarrassment” who is using the presidency to enrich himself and his family. The 39-year-old faces tremendous pressure to hold his seat as Democrats try to gain a net of four seats to claim a Senate majority.

In the governor's race, Jackson spent months comparing himself — the tremendously wealthy political newcomer — to Trump and his unusual path to the presidency. He didn't do that as directly Tuesday night.

“I’m the only candidate who doesn’t owe a thing to the political establishment,” he said, later adding, “We proved the people of Georgia are in charge.”

Both parties in Georgia are trying to buck trends. Republicans haven't won a Senate race here since 2016, the year of Trump's first election. Democrats haven't won a governor's race since 1998.

But Democrats are bullish after they drew about 160,000 more voters than Republicans in the May primary, the first time since their victorious 1998 year that they led primary turnout. Republican runoff turnout also was lower Tuesday than in recent election cycles.

Collins said he had “good conversations” with Dooley and Gov. Brian Kemp, who had supported Dooley, and that Republicans “stand united around one mission” — defeating Ossoff in November.

Dooley offered a similar message to his more subdued crowd in metro Atlanta. “We have a lot of disagreements but the one thing that hasn’t changed is my opinion of Jon Ossoff,” Dooley said.

There were bitter attacks in both Republican runoffs — some of which Democrats are promising to recirculate in the general election.

Dooley repeatedly hammered Collins for a House ethics complaint that accuses him of abusing taxpayer funds by paying the girlfriend of his former top adviser for congressional job duties she allegedly did not fulfill. After an initial investigation, a federal panel forwarded the matter to the House Ethics Committee. Kemp told voters for months that they should nominate Dooley as a “political outsider” who could relentlessly attack Ossoff without having to defend a record of his own.

Jones lambasted Jackson as a faux conservative who has employed immigrants in the country illegally and whose wife has donated to Democratic candidates.

State Republican Chairman Josh McKoon said he's confident about corralling the party base and appealing to swing voters.

“This election is going to be won by the side that is able to become the party of common sense,” he said.

Collins also begins the general election campaign at a financial disadvantage. He raised about $4.9 million through the end of May, and reported having less than $1.2 million remaining. Through late April, the last time Ossoff had to file before his primary, the incumbent had raised $60.4 million and had $32.5 million on hand.

Despite his ties to Trump, Collins has argued that he has broad appeal, and he plans to use immigration as a contrast with Ossoff.

In the House, Collins sponsored the Laken Riley Act, a 2025 law that requires immigrants accused of certain crimes to be detained. It is named for a Georgia nursing student killed in 2021 by a Venezuelan man who was in the U.S. illegally. Ossoff voted against a version of the legislation before backing the final proposal after Trump’s return to power.

He leaned heavily on his decades building his trucking company, based in the same community where he was raised.

“You see, I know what it’s like to have employees and their families count on you to make the right decisions every day. Jon Ossoff doesn’t,” he said.

Trump's mixed results in Georgia come after most of his preferred candidates have prevailed in primaries this spring. But Jackson's seemingly bottomless personal coffers were a new variable.

Jackson blanketed television and online platforms with ads. He's pledged that immigrants in Georgia illegally will be “deported or departed.” He promises a slew of tax cuts. And previewing a potential general election argument, he played up his biography as a product of the state foster care system and featured his grandchildren advising him on how to make friendlier ads.

Jones, 47, comes from a wealthy family but his personal spending measured in the single millions. And despite Trump's endorsement, the president did not travel to Georgia to campaign with Jones.

Georgia's secretary of state race was open for the first time since Trump’s attempts to subvert the 2020 election, famously pressuring outgoing Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find 11,780 votes” to overtake Biden. Raffensberger refused.

For his potential successor, Republicans were left to choose between an outright election denier, Vernon Jones, and a state lawmaker, Tim Fleming, who avoids explicitly disputing the president’s 2020 election lies. They went with Fleming, who won the nomination on Tuesday.

Jones, a perennial candidate who was once a Democrat, embraced Trump’s “stop the steal” movement and said he stood “with those who believe there was election fraud.” Fleming, who once served as deputy secretary of state, has said there were “irregularities” in 2020, a word choice that has become code for Republicans who want neither to ratify nor call out Trump’s errant claims.

Democrats voted for Penny Brown Reynolds — a former state judge in Fulton County who also served in the Biden administration as deputy assistant secretary for civil rights for the Department of Agriculture — over Dana Barrett, a Fulton County commissioner.

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Associated Press reporters Kate Brumback in Jackson, Tom Beaumont in Des Moines, Iowa, and Matt Brown in Washington contributed.

Georgia gubernatorial candidate Rick Jackson greets supporters before speaking at his runoff election night watch party Tuesday, June 16, 2026, in Atlanta. (Jason Getz/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Catherine Harrison, left, and Margaret Williamson view election results during a runoff election night watch party for Republican gubernatorial candidate Burt Jones, Tuesday, June 16, 2026, in Jackson, Ga. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

U.S. Senate candidate Mike Collins celebrates during an election-night watch party after winning the Republican nomination, Tuesday, June 16, 2026, in Jackson, Ga. (AP Photo/Colin Hubbard)

A woman speaks to a Fulton County Election worker before she votes in a runoff election at the C.T. Martin Recreation Center, Tuesday, June 16, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

U.S. Rep Mike Collins campaigns in Woodstock, Ga., Sunday, June 14, 2026. ( AP Photo/Bill Barrow)

FILE - Gov. Brian Kemp, center left, and Republican U.S. Senate candidate Derek Dooley greet supporters at campaign stop for Dooley at Farmview Market in Madison, Ga., on May 8, 2026. (Arvin Temkar/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, File)