Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo delivered one of the most historic scoring performances in NBA history on Monday night, but ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith directed most of the post-game discussion toward the Washington Wizards' defense following Miami's 150-129 win.
Adebayo scored 83 points – the second-highest scoring total in NBA history – leading the Heat to their sixth consecutive win, drawing widespread reaction throughout the league. During Tuesday's broadcast of ESPN's First Take, Smith criticized the Wizards' defensive effort, arguing that Washington offered little resistance as Adebayo put up points all night.
Smith made his comments while discussing the game with co-host Chris Russo.
"It's not Bam Adebayo's fault. Brother had 31 points in the first quarter, he had 43 points at halftime, he had 62 points in three quarters, he had 70 points with nine minutes left. It's not his fault the Washington Wizards suck. It's not his fault you really got him a career night because he hasn't put up much resistance in a while."
Adebayo's scoring progression reflects the dominance referenced by Smith. The 28-year-old started the game with 31 points in the first quarter and reached 43 points at halftime. He had 62 points entering the fourth quarter and crossed the 70-point mark with nine minutes remaining.
"It's not like that [Bam’s] The blame is that the Washington Wizards suck. ...I'm not blaming Bam Adebayo for this. Congratulations to him. This is his moment."
—@stephensmith On 43 free throw attempts in Bam Adebayo's 83-point performance 🏀 pic.twitter.com/vEEFAxwHKh
- First Tech (@FirstTech) 11 March 2026
Stephen A. Smith says Wizards defense 'tainted' Bam Adebayo's historic 83-point game
Smith also suggested that the circumstances surrounding the conclusion of the game contributed to the historic score.
"Then you're talking about the Cats that are deliberately hitting people with fouls to get more possessions to give Bam Adebayo a chance at the record and things like that. Obviously he's tarnished it, it's not his fault. He went out there and did what he was supposed to do. And even though he didn't shoot 50% from the field - last time I checked, shooting 48% from the field. 47% shots aren't bad either. He shot 20 out of 43, right? It wasn't like he shot 13 for 43.
Adebayo finished the night with 83 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks in 42 minutes. He shot 20 of 43 from the field, 7 of 22 from three-point range, and 36 of 43 from the free-throw line, while posting a team-best plus-20 rating.
Smith compared the performance to Kobe Bryant's famous 81-point game in 2006, noting the difference in reaction from opposing defenses.
"When Kobe did that, he did it in the flow of his game and in the game itself. It got to the point where they were giving him the rock because they knew Kobe was going for it. He made 28 of 46 shots, 7 of 13 threes, he was in attack mode. I know Toronto Raptors coach Sam Mitchell... what did he say? We did everything, we doubled him. We did everything we could. We changed the guards on that.
Smith says Heat star should be celebrated
Smith followed up his criticism of the Wizards by defending Adebayo's performance.
"Obviously that was not the case with Bam Adebayo last night. But you can point the finger [Erik] Spoelstra, you can point the finger at his teammates, you can point the finger at how brutal the Washington Wizards were last night and it will be a stain on their franchise for years to come. But you can't blame Bam Adebayo because obviously he was doing it and knew it from the first quarter because he had never seen a game like this in his life.
Despite Smith's criticism of Washington, he stressed that Adebayo's accomplishment deserves recognition.
"But this is a day where he should be celebrated because he's one of those good guys who grabs his lunch bill and comes to work every day and does his best... Congratulations to him. This is his moment."
The performance added another milestone to Adebayo's season. Through 58 games, the Heat center is averaging 20 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.1 steals, while shooting 44.8% from the field and 32.9% from three-point range.
Miami improved to 37-29 with Monday's win, extending its winning streak to six games and moving into the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference standings.
