You Won’t Believe Which NBA Players Took Shots at Bam’s Historic Night

Last night should have been nothing but celebration around the NBA. Bam Adebayo just dropped 83 points, the second-highest scoring game in league history, and instead of universal praise, he is getting criticism from current and former NBA players. Last night was so historic and crazy, and the likelihood of this happening again is so small. This is a performance that most players will never even come close to touching. This wasn’t a random role player chucking shots on a lottery team in April. This was an All-Star, franchise cornerstone, and defensive anchor putting together one of the most historic offensive explosions the game has ever seen. Nights like this are supposed to be appreciated in real time, not picked apart.

Moments like this are why fans watch the game. They are rare, unforgettable, and nearly impossible to replicate. Rather than trying to downplay what Bam accomplished, the basketball world should be recognizing it for what it truly was, a once-in-a-generation performance.

The wave of criticism from both current and former players is wild.

Robert Horry

Robert Horry says Bam 83 point game needs a asterisk:

“43 shots, 43 FTs, I saw some highlights… 83 points is impressive but it gets to a point you have to respect the game. There were moments in this game it wasn’t respected. It’ll go down as 2nd most in the game, I’m putting… pic.twitter.com/IpQxCaLjBy
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) March 11, 2026

Robert Horry says Bam 83 point game needs an asterisk:

“43 shots, 43 FTs, I saw some highlights… 83 points is impressive, but it gets to a point where you have to respect the game. There were moments in this game when it wasn’t respected. It’ll go down as the 2nd most in the game, I’m putting an asterisk by this one.”

Charlie Vilanueva

Charlie Villanueva says Kobe’s 81-point game isn’t Bam Adebayo’s 83:

“There’s a difference, Yes 83 is 83 that’s fu*king hard to do. Regardless what level you’re playing. Now, here is the difference. When we played Kobe, Toronto played the Lakers it was a close game the whole… https://t.co/FaxuaHqjEu pic.twitter.com/yN961uuzZb
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) March 11, 2026

Charlie Villanueva says Kobe’s 81-point game isn’t Bam Adebayo’s 83:

“There’s a difference, Yes 83 is 83 that’s fu*king hard to do. Regardless what level you’re playing. Now, here is the difference. When we played Kobe, Toronto played the Lakers it was a close game the whole way, they needed Kobe 81 points. In Bam’s case they was up by 30,25 they were fouling so he could get there to beat the record. It’s not the same. To me that 83 is asterisk bro.”

Kelly Oubre

“I’m just gonna say this man, Joel [Embiid] did it efficiently, and he did it in three quarters”

Kelly Oubre on Bam Adebayo scoring 83-pts tonight 👀 pic.twitter.com/EpyNTzLOFG
— Underdog (@Underdog) March 11, 2026

“For one, I’m going to say it’s definitely legendary, the box score, right, the number,” Oubre said Tuesday night after beating the Grizzlies. “Shoutout to Bam, he’s just implementing himself in history and I’m kind of salty that he bested Kobe, he’s one of my favorite players for sure. I’m just gonna say this man, Joel [Embiid] did it efficiently, and he did it in three quarters”

Collin Gillespie

Collin Gillespie On Bam Adebayo’s Historic Night.

“I Don’t Really Care” 😂 pic.twitter.com/X6L2fNofVq
— SUNSWORLDWIDE (@SUNSWORLDWIDE_) March 11, 2026

“I Don’t Really Care”

At the end of the day, history doesn’t remember the complaints. So while the criticism may dominate the short-term conversation, the long-term legacy of this night is already secure.