Bam Adebayo is heading into Crypto.com Arena with a target on his back, and not just because the Miami Heat are opening a five-game West Coast trip against the Los Angeles Lakers.
The bigger issue is what Adebayo did seven months and 23 days ago. He poured in 83 points, the second-highest scoring game in NBA history, and in the process moved past Kobe Bryant’s old mark. That kind of night doesn’t exactly win over a Lakers crowd, especially in a building so closely tied to Bryant’s legacy.
Bryant’s place in league history is already sealed. He was an 18-time All-Star, 15-time All-NBA selection, 12-time All-Defense honoree, a two-time scoring champion, five-time NBA champion, two-time Finals MVP and a member of the 75th-anniversary team.
On Jan. 22, 2026, he had held the single-game scoring standard at 81 points, doing it on 60.9 percent shooting with 28-of-46 from the field and seven made 3-pointers. For a long stretch, nobody had seen anything like it.
That’s part of why Adebayo’s eruption still rubs some people the wrong way. The biggest point of contention is how he got there: 36 made free throws on 43 attempts, both single-game records. For some fans, that was enough to make the performance feel less like a celebration and more like a slight.
Adebayo didn’t frame it that way. He took the opportunity to put himself into the record book and did it without apology. He has also said more than once that he grew up as a Bryant fan, but that won’t stop Lakers fans from letting him hear it Monday night.
And Adebayo arrives playing well. After a slow start to the season, he has picked up his production over the last two games, both Heat wins over the Atlanta Hawks and Indiana Pacers. In those outings, he averaged 25.5 points on 63.3 percent shooting, along with nine rebounds, three assists and three steals.
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