MIAMI – The Miami Heat have an important week ahead as they aim to avoid the play-in tournament, with Sunday's big 121-110 win over the Detroit Pistons one of many impressive stories. In the team's win over the Eastern Conference-leading Pistons, Heat captain Bam Adebayo earned a team-high scoring milestone held only by Dwyane Wade.
After Adebayo recorded 24 points on Sunday evening, it marked the big man reaching over 10,000 career points with Miami, only the second time a player from the franchise has accomplished such a feat, other than Wade. While Wade is firmly No. 1 in that category with 21,556 points, Adebayo's 10,001 puts him in second place, already overtaken by Alonzo Mourning with 9,459 points.
Adebayo talked about the milestone after the win over Detroit, putting into perspective not only how he has improved and how long he has been with Miami, but also how he was drafted, which is known for its defense.
“Man, it means a lot to have us play defense somewhere, and everyone is thinking I was just a big threat, but it just shows the evolution of my game,” Adebayo said. "Obviously, this organization believes in me. I've been here so long that I can get to the 10k with the same team, and obviously getting into the history books with someone like D-Wade. So it's a big accomplishment. I'm happy I even got to the W, and it's a fun win for us."
Bam Adebayo on scoring 10,000 career points:
"It means a lot. Coming from a guy who was drafted to play defense...to be in the history books behind a guy like D-Wade, that's a huge accomplishment..." #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/0CphU4kDHS
- Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) 9 March 2026
For his 24 points, Adebayo shot 7 of 17 from the field and four of 10 from three-point range.
Heat's Erik Spoelstra on Bam Adebayo's milestone and its significance
As Adebayo is actually chasing Udonis Haslem's Heat rebound record, which he is on pace to do, the main goal at this point is to lead the team to victory, with the team now on a five-game winning streak after the statement was released on Sunday. In addition to the 24 points, he would also record nine rebounds and six assists, while recording a +13 on the floor.
Along with Tyler Herro's 25 points on Sunday, the Miami duo led the way to a collective win over the East-leading Pistons, but it can't be said enough how important Adebayo is to the team, given his numbers on and off the floor. According to Screwball, Adebayo has a net rating of +12.1, which shows how well the team performs when he is on the court, which was mentioned by Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra.
“He has such competitive will and you can see it,” Spoelstra said of Adebayo. "The staff told me today he's second in the league in on/off, which is all that matters. Is that all? No, like, you can find a stat for everything, but it shows his impact on winning. When he's on the court, our defense is excellent, and our play is great. Now, when he's off the court, it's improving, you know, our guys are really trying to be there for our team in those minutes. Have been."
Erik Spoelstra on Bam Adebayo reaching 10,000 career points.
Talked about his continued "competitive will" and how much he means to this team, talking about statistics on and off the court: #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/3tUZodkaa5
- Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) 9 March 2026
"But I think it's also a credit to his competitive will and work ethic. He wasn't necessarily known as a scorer; he's worked for this special team and has shown a willingness to invest himself in it, his scoring is really important, and playmaking," Spoelstra continued.
Adebayo looks to continue leading Miami as the team tries to extend its five-game winning streak against the Washington Wizards on Tuesday.
