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Photo Credit: Isaac Baldizon, NBAE and Getty Images
Every once in a while the basketball universe glitches like an old NBA Jam cartridge.
Boom.
A player catches absolute fire and suddenly the scoreboard looks like someone accidentally put the game on rookie mode.
This week that glitch belonged to Bam Adebayo, who exploded for 83 points, sending NBA media into a full-blown historical meltdown.
Naturally, when something like this happens, two names immediately pop up like ghosts in the basketball attic:
- Kobe Bryant and his 81-point masterpiece
- Wilt Chamberlain and the most ridiculous stat line in sports history: 100 points
And of course the question became:
Was Bam’s night legendary…
Or did the NBA media lose its collective mind?
Let’s break it down Errol Marks style.
First… Let’s Roast The Media Real Quick
Because the reaction to Bam’s 83 looked like someone dropped breaking news that gravity stopped working.
Here are 10 “Wham Bam Thank you Man” Thoughts.
1.
The NBA media saw Bam score 83 and immediately acted like Kobe Bryant’s 81 never happened… relax people, Kobe did that before Instagram filters existed.
2.
ESPN was five minutes away from renaming the mid-range jumper “The Bam Shot.”
3.
The way the media reacted to Bam’s 83 you’d think Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 because the defenders had milk delivery routes after the game.
4.
Some analysts were acting like Bam invented scoring… meanwhile Kobe somewhere in basketball heaven like “I dropped 55 in a half and y’all barely blinked.”
5.
By halftime people were asking if Bam was the greatest scorer since Wilt… meanwhile Bam himself probably like “Guys… I average 22.”
6.
The reaction was so dramatic you’d think the NBA just discovered offense.
7.
If Bam scores 83 again the city of Los Angeles might start throwing basketball historians out of windows.
8.
Half the analysts praising Bam spent the last 10 years telling us the mid-range shot was dead.
9.
When Wilt scored 100 people say the league was weak… but when Bam scores 83 suddenly it’s the greatest scoring performance ever. The math ain’t mathing.
10.
Let’s be honest… Bam’s 83 was incredible.
But the media reaction was so dramatic you’d think he scored 150 and dunked from the parking lot.
Alright… now let’s talk about the actual basketball.
Photo Credit: Matt A. Brown, Associated Press
The Night Kobe Turned The Raptors Into Traffic Cones
On January 22, 2006, Kobe Bryant absolutely detonated the Toronto Raptors for 81 points.
And this wasn’t today’s NBA.
This was still a half-court grind era.
No freedom-of-movement rules.
No friendly whistle for every bump.
No five-out spacing.
Kobe was out there taking shots that looked like someone dared him to miss.
His scoring menu looked like:
- Fadeaways over double teams
- Mid-range daggers
- Deep threes
- Drives through traffic
- Ridiculous contested jumpers
By the fourth quarter the Raptors defenders looked like people guarding a man possessed.
Kobe wasn’t just scoring.
He was breaking their spirit.
Bam Adebayo’s 83 — The Most Unexpected Explosion Ever
Now let’s talk about Bam Adebayo.
Bam is an elite player.
Fantastic defender.
Great passer.
One of the most versatile big men in the NBA.
But if you asked fans before this game who was dropping 80 first, Bam probably would’ve ranked somewhere between:
- a backup center
- the Miami Heat mascot
- and a random guy cooking at Rucker Park
Yet somehow Bam turned into a scoring volcano.
What made his night special:
- Dominating inside
- Mid-range shots falling
- Drawing fouls
- Defense completely helpless
For one night he looked like Shaq and Hakeem fused together in a basketball lab.
The Rule Differences Matter
The NBA Kobe played in was very different than today’s league.
Kobe Era (2000s)
- More physical defense
- Slower pace
- Less spacing
- Harder shot creation
Modern NBA
- Freedom-of-movement rules
- More possessions
- Wide open spacing
- Offensive advantages everywhere
Translation:
Scoring explosions are a little easier today.
But let’s be clear…
80 points is still insane.
Photo Credit: Paul Vathis, Associated Press
The Wilt Chamberlain Disrespect Needs To Stop
Whenever scoring records come up, people suddenly turn into historians.
They say things like:
“Wilt played against plumbers.”
Let’s slow down.
Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in 1962 for the Philadelphia Warriors.
One. Hundred.
That’s not dominance.
That’s basketball insanity.
And the disrespect he gets is ridiculous.
Wilt wasn’t just bigger.
He was:
- Faster than most players
- Freakishly strong
- Skilled around the rim
- An underrated passer
If Wilt played in today’s spacing era?
He might average 40+ without blinking.
Let’s rank them.
#1 — Kobe Bryant (81)
Why?
Because he created offense entirely on his own.
No spacing advantage.
Just pure scoring brilliance.
It looked like someone turned the difficulty to Hall of Fame mode.
#2 — Bam Adebayo (83)
An unbelievable performance.
Historic.
But the modern game structure gave him advantages Kobe didn’t have.
Still… 83 is wild.
#3 — Wilt Chamberlain (100)
Wilt’s game is still the most absurd stat line ever.
But comparing eras from the 1960s is nearly impossible.
Basketball fans love arguing about eras.
But the truth is simple.
Greatness looks different in every generation.
- Wilt Chamberlain was a physical phenomenon
- Kobe Bryant was a scoring assassin
- Bam Adebayo just had the night of his life
Three eras.
Three ridiculous performances.
But if we’re talking about the most jaw-dropping performance?
Kobe’s 81 still feels like the night a human temporarily turned into a basketball supervillain.
And Bam’s 83?
That was the night the NBA woke up and said:
“Wait… Bam does WHAT now?”
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My name is Errol Marks and I’d like to tell you why I believe I can be a major asset to your station. I’m from a small town in Long Island, NY and from a very young age I’ve always had a love for sports talk radio. Growing up, I would listen religiously to shows like Mike and the Mad Dog, Mike and Mike, and Imus in the Morning and studied what made those shows so great. I’ve made it my goal to be as influential as the hosts I grew up listening to, and with my knowledge of all major sports, enthusiastic and fearless personality, and my preparation skills, I know I can get to that level. This is an art and a medium that I’m passionate about and one that I feel can never be replaced.
What makes my story so unique goes beyond my 10+ years of experience in sports media. In addition to over ten years of creating and hosting sports talk radio shows, I created the World Wide Sports Radio Network - one of the first ever digital sports radio networks - in 2012. Since the network began, we have had some of the best content in digital sports media. We have six quality shows on our network covering all sports and sports betting. I’m currently hosting New York’s Sports Loud Mouth, and you can find that show and the rest of our great shows at https://worldwidesportsradio.com/.
Our network’s content and listenership has grown significantly year to year and, in the past year, we’ve achieved 3.6 million minutes listened on our audio stream, over 29k followers on tik tok, 500k viewed on YouTube, 1.7 million downloads on Apple Podcasts, and 906,917 plays on Spotify. While we are enjoying a continued increase in growth, I feel that we can take this to a new level and a new audience with your help.
My goal since the day I started is to become the greatest and most recognizable sports radio show host in the country. I can guarantee that nobody in this industry currently has my passion, personality or ability to shape the future of sports broadcasting and entertainment like I do. If given the opportunity, I hope to further share my story and many talents with you and your station.
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