Giannis and Ime Udoka react to Bam Adebayo’s 83-point game feat, and LeBron James and Curry are in shock

The Miami Heat saw star Bam Adebayo score a career-high 83 points, the second-highest scoring game in NBA history, surpassing Kobe Bryant's 81-point performance in 2006. Only Wilt Chamberlain and his 100-point game are higher than Adebayo's.

In 42 minutes of play, Bam Adebayo finished with 83 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two steals, and two blocked shots. He shot 20-of-43 from the field, 7-of-22 from three, and 36-of-43 from the free throw line in the historic game.

Adebayo set a new record for free throws taken in a game with 43, surpassing Dwight Howard's record of 39.

Some players and coaches in the NBA world reacted to the monstrous scoring night by Adebayo, including some of the league's best scorers.

Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo gave his props to Adebayo after the Bucks' home loss against the Phoenix Suns.

“Incredible,” Antetokounmpo said. “83 is incredible. It speaks volumes to his hard work. I haven't seen the game yet, but I have to see the game. He took 43 free throws? It doesn't matter how you get there. All that matters is that you got it. Like in 10, 20, 30 years from now, nobody's going to remember how many free throws he shot. I don't think I remember how many shots Kobe shot or how many free throws he made or threes. All you remember is 81. Wilt, 100. You don't remember that. At the end of the day, he got 83 points.’’.

Bam Adebayo's former Olympic teammate, Kevin Durant of the Houston Rockets, was also astonished by the feat.

“I couldn't believe it when I was hearing it in real time,” Durant said after his team's game. “It's like he's got 30 in the first quarter. Congratulations to Bam. I know how much work he puts in. I looked up the stat sheet, and it's pretty crazy. He had 40 shots, 40 free throws, 20 threes. That takes a lot of stamina, a lot of energy to put those shots up and then also make them, set a record, surpass Kobe as the second-highest scoring player in the history of the game. Congrats to him. Huge, huge accomplishment. It's something we'll be talking about forever.”

San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama appeared to be much more dismissive of the feat in his postgame interview after the Spurs beat the Boston Celtics.

“Yeah, I saw,” Wembanyama said before pausing. “I think we're in a league where there is plenty of inspiration to look up to, but yeah, I saw…”

Rockets head coach Ime Udoka also appeared to be a tad dismissive of the 83-point performance.

“First thing you think is how, not because of him, but because of the way he plays,” Udoka said. “I saw he only made six threes, but 40 free throws or something like that. That tells the story right there. And the Washington Wizards.”

There will surely be more players and coaches chiming in on Bam Adebayo's feat on Wednesday night, but so far, it's been a mixed bag of reactions to the Heat star's 83-point night.

After his 83-point game, Bam Adebayo is now averaging 20 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 44.8 per cent from the field and 32.9 per cent from the free throw line.

Elsewhere, LeBron James and Stephen Curry were left in shock after Adebayo achieved an impossible scoring feat for them

"BAM BAM BAM," James posted on X, celebrating the man who effectively erased his name from the Heat's single-game record book.

Meanwhile, Stephen Curry expressed the collective shock by reposting the iconic image of Adebayo holding up his "83" sign. He got more praise as the greatest shooter in history said, "You did what now?"

These reactions were particularly meaningful given who they are and the bond they share. All of them were teammates on the 2024 Paris Olympic gold-medal squad. Having seen Adebayo play the complementary" role to perfection for Team USA, Curry was uniquely positioned to appreciate the magnitude of his achievement.