Washington Wizards Get Compared to ‘Make-A-Wish’ Kids After Letting Bam Adebayo Score 83 Points

Washington Wizards keep getting disrespected after SNL piled on more misery by highlighting Bam Adebayo's 83-point game with a joke.

Washington Wizards Get Compared to ‘Make-A-Wish’ Kids After Letting Bam Adebayo Score 83 Points

SNL takes shots at Washington Wizards after Bam Adebayo's 83-point game (Image credits - Firstsportz)

In Short
  • Bam Adebayo scored a historic 83 points against the Washington Wizards, breaking multiple records.
  • The Wizards have the second worst defensive rating in the NBA and are on an 11-game losing streak.
  • Critics questioned the significance of Adebayo's achievement due to the Wizards' poor performance.

The Washington Wizards are a franchise that has struggled to capture much eyeballs since its rebranding in 1997. Nevertheless, they did gain a lot of attention for all the wrong reasons when they took on the Miami Heat at the Kaseya Center on Tuesday night. Bam Adebayo posted a historic 83 points against a struggling Wizards side.

Bam Adebayo was never seen as an offensive weapon in his nine-year NBA career. With three All-Defensive team selections to his name, the Heat center stunned the NBA world by cementing his name into the record books.

Against the Wizards, Adebayo broke several club and league records. But the most important of them all was surpassing the great Kobe Bryant as the second-highest scorer in a game in NBA history. He trails only Wilt Chamberlain‘s record of 100 points. Considering Chamberlain’s record was in 1962, Adebayo holds the record for the most points in a game in the modern NBA.

Unfortunately for the 28-year-old, everyone was not supportive and impressed by his achievement. Lakers fans were heard booing at the Crypto.com Arena when the announcement of Adebayo’s record was made and several players and coaches did not show much excitement to the remarkable feat.

One of the main criticisms was that it came against a poor Washington Wizards. The Wizards have the second worst defensive rating in the NBA after the Utah Jazz, hence to some of them, it was not as remarkable as it seems.

Saturday Night Live (SNL) is an American late-night comedy variety show where actors, comedians and artists get together to perform short, hilarious skits on current, and at times ridiculous topics. One of the topics covered was Adebayo’s 83-point game.

Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat scored 83 points in a game against the Wizards. Unfortunately, it was the night the Wizards started five ‘Make-A-Wish’ kids.

Michael Che said on SNL

The Wizards have already been eliminated from playoffs contention for this season with still 16 games to go. They are placed at 14th in the Eastern Conference standings with a 16-50 record and are currently on a 11-game losing streak.

Shaquille O’Neal came in Bam Adebayo’s defense

The NBA world has been split ever since the Adebayo’s 83-point game. Some of it has to do with Kobe Bryant not holding the modern-game record anymore, while some were not impressed with the way it was achieved.

Adebayo shot a record 36 out of 43 free throws against the Wizards. It was an NBA record, breaking the previous mark of 28 held by Wilt Chamberlain and Adrian Dantley. 

Bam Adebayo
Bam Adebayo (Image credits – Miami Heat/X)

On Inside the NBA, Bryant’s former teammate and four-time champion Shaquille O’Neal came in support of the center.

I’m happy for Bam. Hear all the people complaining, ‘Well, he shot 40 free throws.’ Well, stop fouling, Washington Wizards. My favorite moment of the night was he’s playing great, his mom’s there having a good time, he’s crying. And a lot of people saying, ‘Well, yeah, he chased the record.’ And you should. I’m glad he went for it. I’m glad he got the 83. And I’m happy for Bam.

Shaquille O’Neal said on Inside the NBA

It is good to see a player of O’Neal’s caliber coming in support of Adebayo. While there will be critics and slander, it does not take anything away from Adebayo’s achievement, which will be in the history books for years to come.

Anthony Davis shut down for the rest of the season for the Washington Wizards

It has been a difficult 2025-26 campaign for the Wizards. They have been arguably one of the worst performing franchises over the last 10-15 years. However, they did generate some excitement when they traded for Trae Young before the trade deadline this year. The guard has made just four appearances for the Wizards as he has had his injury struggles this year.

Another star player who was traded at the trade deadline was Anthony Davis. The move to the Dallas Mavericks last year did not work out as Davis’ season was riddled with injuries. Just a year after the blockbuster trade, Davis finds himself at the capital.

Unfortunately for the Wizards fans, the former champion is dealing with hand and groin issues. With no playoffs to play for, the Wizards decided to shut him down for the rest of the season and focus on getting him healthy for the next season.

There will be hype surrounding the Wizards next season with Young and Davis teaming up for the first time. The club hasn’t made the playoffs in five years and has only made it past the first round four times in the last 26 years. Hence, there will be a lot of hopes on the two stars next season.

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