MIAMI — A week after being unaware he had reached his 800th regular-season coaching victory, Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was caught by surprise again Friday.
This time, after the 106-105 loss to the Orlando Magic at Kia Center, Spoelstra was caught off guard when told center Bam Adebayo in the half had moved into third place on the Heat all-time scoring list.
“That’s really incredible. What an achievement. I had no idea,” Spoelstra said, with Adebayo now only behind Alonzo Mourning and Dwyane Wade. “That’s awesome. I would have mentioned something to him, even though it’s kind of a buzzkill there at the end.”
Friday night’s game ended with Adebayo off with a hurried jumper just before the buzzer.
Nonetheless, with 9.259 points in his nine Heat seasons going into Saturday night’s game against the Sacramento Kings at Kaseya Center, Adebayo moved past Glen Rice (9,248) for third place in the franchise’s 38 seasons, now behind only Mourning (9,459) and Wade (21,556).
“That’s just a testament to his consistency, his work ethic,” Spoelstra said of his team captain. “Came in basically as a defensive player, and he’s really honed his skills offensively to become so much more versatile. On a tough night and tough loss, that’s one heck of an accomplishment, and he’s going to keep going.”
Like Spoelstra, Adebayo found himself too concerned with the matchup against the Magic to focus on the statistical element.
“Who did I pass?” he said, then informed it was Rice, who remains with the organization as a scout and community ambassador. “Man, I can’t really put that into words. I would have liked to have done it on a dub.
“But to have an opportunity to pass some of these greats, obviously, being able to pass them and bring them into the present day, you know, I am pretty sure at some point when I see Glen he is going to give me a big hug. That’s my guy.”
Drafted No. 14 in 2017 out of Kentucky as a defensive presence, Adebayo was only a nominal scorer in his first two NBA seasons, averaging 6.9 points as a rookie and 8.9 in his second season. He has averaged at least 15.9 points per season since, with a career best of 20.4 in 2022-23.
“It is a great thing,” he said of moving up the Heat scoring charts. “I came into this league as a defender and to be third in franchise history in points, it is an incredible feeling for sure.”
And, yes, he said, he is targeting Wade’s all-time lead.
Nine seasons into his Heat career, Adebayo also stands first in franchise history in double-doubles, second in rebounds, second in defensive rebounds, third in points, third in assists, third in field goals, third in minutes, third in triple-doubles, fourth in offensive rebounds, fourth in games, fourth in free throws, fourth in steals, fourth in turnovers and fifth in blocked shots, among other Heat leaderboards.