It’s been a minute since Bam Adebayo dropped that huge number… but the conversation about it continues. When someone drops 83 points in an NBA game, you’d think the basketball world would be throwing a parade. Instead, the conversation turned into a mix of celebration, debate, and classic NBA old-school commentary.
Enter Big Diesel himself, Shaquille O’Neal.
During a recent discussion on TV, Shaq reacted to the monster performance from Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat, who lit up the Washington Wizards for 83 points—the second-highest scoring game in NBA history.
That puts Bam in some extremely elite company. The only players ahead of him?
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Wilt Chamberlain with his legendary 100-point game in 1962
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Kobe Bryant with 81 points in 2006
Not bad company to keep.
And while some critics nitpicked the way Adebayo reached the milestone, Shaq had a much simpler take:
“I’m happy for Bam,” Shaq said.
The Hall of Fame big man pointed out that Adebayo came out firing early, scoring 31 points in the first quarter. And yes, there were a lot of free throws involved—something critics quickly noticed.
Shaq’s response?
Stop fouling.
Simple math.
“People complain he shot 40 free throws,” Shaq joked. “Well… stop fouling.”
Classic Shaq logic.
But the Diesel didn’t stop there. He also turned the moment into a motivational message for younger players everywhere.
According to Shaq, if you have a chance to make history, you don’t tiptoe around it—you go for it.
Whether it’s a high school scoring record or an NBA milestone, Shaq says moments like that don’t come around often.
And when they do?
Take the shot.
Still, the conversation took a nostalgic turn when Shaq’s longtime TV partner Charles Barkley chimed in with a reminder about how things used to work back in the day.
Let’s just say the 1990s NBA had a slightly different vibe.
Barkley joked that if someone was chasing records while already winning comfortably, defenders might have responded with a little extra “physical encouragement.”
Shaq immediately laughed and agreed.
Let’s just say those were the days when driving to the basket came with a free wrestling match included.
Of course, the game has evolved since then. Today’s NBA features faster pace, more spacing, and a whole lot of scoring explosions.
And honestly, fans love it.
Meanwhile, Erik Spoelstra, head coach of the Heat, wasn’t interested in apologizing for anything that happened during the record chase.
His stance was simple: Bam earned it.
Adebayo himself addressed the chatter too, saying he thinks the reaction might partly come from the fact that he’s not always viewed as a traditional scoring superstar.
But after an 83-point night, that conversation might be changing fast.
Back to Shaq, though—because the big man summed up the whole situation perfectly.
Basketball is about competition, moments, and history. When lightning strikes and someone is having the night of their life, you don’t slow down the storm.
You ride it.
And if that storm drops 83 points, well… Big Diesel says you tip your cap and enjoy the show.