SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr couldn't believe the buzz surrounding Bam Adebayo's historic 83-point game against the Washington Wizards, the second-most in NBA history.
"Is this a thing? People aren't giving him credit for scoring 83." [points]Kerr asked the room when told that a good portion of fans, reporters and analysts across the league have vilified Adebayo, the Miami Heat and the way Erik Spoelstra got to that incredible feat.
Amid the discussion surrounding Bam Adebayo's 83-point game, Steve Kerr echoed Erik Spoelstra's comments:
"I respect what Spo said. There's no need to apologize, he was doing it for his team and I respect that."
Explained how he left Klay Thompson to chase 14 threes in 2018. pic.twitter.com/WjhZCnjzCU
- Kenzo Fukuda (@kenzofuku) 14 March 2026
Opponents have cited Adebayo's record-breaking 43 free throws, the way the Heat fouled the Wizards to get the ball back, and the fact that Spoelstra left his man in a blowout game to chase the record, as reasons why Adebayo's 83 points should come with an asterisk. But it seems like Kerr is on the other side of the discussion, as he had nothing but praise for the player he coached during the 2020 and 2024 Olympics.
"It's pretty amazing. I mean, what an incredible accomplishment," Kerr said. "And he's not even really a scorer. He's an incredible player. But he wouldn't be top of mind to score that many points. So just feels like a bizarre evening. I didn't watch the game, we were playing so I saw some of the high highlights, but it was one of those physical experiences, and it seemed like the team was totally engaged and enjoying it."
Steve Kerr supports Adebayo and Spoelstra's defense
In recent days, since the historic night, Adebayo and Spoelstra have been dogged by questions about the ethics of the strategies they employed to help Adebayo score 83 points.
Adebayo called the haters "sofa coaches" and defended his performance.
“If you get that close to chasing greatness, that's the point of chasing it, so you can overcome it,” Adebayo said. “And some people have never played basketball.”
Meanwhile, Spoelstra strongly supported Adebayo, calling out detractors in a lengthy response to the Miami media.
"I think most of the people who probably made comments didn't watch the game. It's 'irresponsible' or 'immoral,'" Spoelstra said. "And I would do it again 10 times out of 10 for Bam, I'm not apologizing to anyone about that."
Spoelstra won't have to apologize to Kerr because the Dubs coached his longtime friend and coaching contemporary.
"I think every coach has to face that — himself and his own circumstances," Kerr said. “I think the whole team was pleading to keep Spo [Adebayo] Out there. And it's really tricky. As a coach, you may feel awkward.”
Steve Kerr references his feelings
Kerr recalled a similar experience to Spoelstra and Adebayor, when he passed Klay Thompson against the Chicago Bulls to set the record for most 3-pointers in a game on October 29, 2018.
With the Warriors up by 41 with 4:53 left in the third quarter, Thompson hit his 14th triple to tie the record. But before that point, Kerr had dismissed all the starters and left Thompson to chase the feat. But that pursuit led to shot-chucking, a context lost over time, as Thompson missed four consecutive 3-pointers in the process.
"I let him go because I wanted him to get the record," Kerr said. "The team wanted him to get the record. And it was a little weird, sure, I felt bad that he was launching shots. Luckily, he made one. I think he missed his first three quarters, and he was just launching every time, and he made his fourth. And I couldn't get him out fast enough. But it worked out. Everybody was happy, but yeah, it's weird. There's a lot of mouths to feed, a lot of people to think about in those situations. Are."
With Kerr's experience with record-chasing players and teams, he had no trouble with Spoelstra's defense.
"But I respect what Spo said. There's no need to apologize. He was doing it for his team and I respect that."
