Heat Coach Spoelstra Defends Bam Adebayo's 83-Point Record

Spoelstra says he would help Adebayo chase the record "ten times out of ten" despite criticism over late-game fouling tactics.

Mar. 13, 2026 at 1:19am

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra is standing by his decision to keep Bam Adebayo in the game late and have the team foul to give him more possessions to break Kobe Bryant's single-game scoring record of 81 points. Spoelstra says he has no regrets about the strategy and would do it again, arguing that Adebayo's historic 83-point performance shouldn't be overshadowed by the criticism.

Why it matters

Adebayo's 83-point game has sparked debate around the ethics of Spoelstra's late-game tactics, with some critics arguing the Heat were "stat-padding" against a tanking Wizards team. However, Spoelstra defended his approach, saying he wanted to ensure Adebayo stayed locked in and that the fans deserved to witness a "brilliant, magical night."

The details

In the game against the Wizards, Adebayo scored 31 points in the first quarter and had 43 by halftime. At that point, Spoelstra felt Adebayo had a rare opportunity to do something special and gave him every chance to break Bryant's record, even having the team intentionally foul late in the game to give Adebayo more possessions. Spoelstra said he didn't want to take any chances, as the Heat had previously lost to undermanned teams, and he wanted Adebayo, the team's best player and captain, to be "locked in and ready."

  • Adebayo scored 31 points in the first quarter.
  • Adebayo had 43 points by halftime.

The players

Bam Adebayo

A 6'9" big man for the Miami Heat who scored 83 points in a game, breaking Kobe Bryant's single-game scoring record of 81 points.

Erik Spoelstra

The head coach of the Miami Heat who defended the team's late-game tactics to help Adebayo chase the scoring record.

Pat Riley

The godfather of the Miami Heat franchise who is known for his emphasis on hard work, grit, and doing things the right way.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“Look, no, I apologize to absolutely no one. Period. And going into the game, it's a Tuesday night game against a team where they're not playing for anything, where their organization is trying to lose.”

— Erik Spoelstra, Head Coach, Miami Heat (basketballnetwork.net)

“The fact that he was still in the game at the end, you know, this is what our fans want to see. And this is what you really want to see happen in this league is for there to be some competitive storylines. And then a brilliant, magical night just appeared out of nowhere. And, you know, seize that opportunity.”

— Erik Spoelstra, Head Coach, Miami Heat (basketballnetwork.net)

“I'm not losing any sleep over what other people are saying about it. What's ethical? What's not? Like, you know, is fouling a three-point shooter, is that ethical or not? Is fouling a bad free throw shooter and getting extra possessions, you know, or not? Like, all this stuff happened under two minutes, like I said. Like, he had already broken a bunch of records and we're going to go for it.”

— Erik Spoelstra, Head Coach, Miami Heat (basketballnetwork.net)

What’s next

The NBA may review the Heat's late-game tactics to determine if any rules were violated, but Spoelstra has made it clear he has no regrets and would do the same thing again to help Adebayo achieve the historic performance.

The takeaway

Spoelstra's unapologetic defense of the Heat's approach highlights the competitive drive and win-at-all-costs mentality that has defined the franchise under Pat Riley's leadership. While the ethics of the late-game fouling may be debated, Adebayo's 83-point outburst stands as a remarkable individual achievement that Spoelstra believes the fans deserved to witness.