This week saw the publication of The Times’ tremendous package on the imminent opening of Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s new David Geffen Galleries. The nearly $724-million new building designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Peter Zumthor, which opens to members on April 19, with general admission beginning May 3, has been a lightning rod for split opinions for nearly two decades — and it seems not much has changed.
Each article attracted its fair share of reader comments — for and against — the new building. I’m rounding up nine that best reflect reader consensus. (Note: Comments don’t have formal names attached.)
1. “Ugh. I hate that building. It does nothing to activate the street itself and Wilshire should be an active urban street with thousands of people walking. The design is a puddle of oil seeping high above and across the boulevard that conflicts with its surroundings. For all of that gross amount of money spent it should be universally positively recognized. But it’s not and most of the citizens that have commented about it don’t appear to be too happy with a building its creators expect to exist for hundreds of years. What a blotch.”
2. “One will always wonder: what would Frank have done if he had ended up with the commission for replacing LACMA’s core campus. Did he ever venture to tell anyone what approach he might have pursued?”
A high priest of design has given Los Angeles a plebian concrete maze (period) which demands that visitors ascend one story above the ground plane for the sake of art. Rather than the prospect of random wandering, this respondent wonders whether Mister Gehry may have otherwise had no fear of paying homage to the classical idea of hierarchy, would have elevated our better angels and given us a singular or particular reason (aspiration) to go upwards at a far greater extent, first off, then return to the ground plane mixing formal and random paths.
With Disney Hall he became an emotional hierarch of the city and his discountment from this project will always remain a great tragedy. He understood us.”
3. “I love LACMA’s collection and have been going several times a year for a long time. Very excited to check out the new galleries. Contrary to a lot of other commenters, I find the architecture of the new building fresh and exciting, and I appreciate how it hangs over Wilshire in a manner that incorporates the museum directly into the city.”
4. “I loved the old museum. I really hope I’m wrong, but I’m afraid the new one will be disappointing. Less display space, chaotic organization and galleries that on paper look like warehouse spaces make me wonder how successful the new museum will be. I look forward to visiting and finding out for myself.”
5. “I’m amazed that it is almost 11:00 AM and I am posting the first comment here. Does nobody reading the L.A. Times care about this very expensive reimagining of our County Art Museum, $125 million of which was funded by our taxpayers? What I want to know now is whether any these 17 pieces are adjacently-placed in some idiosyncratic curatorial thematic scheme that will elude both common sense and intuition of most museum visitors? How is this reduced gallery capacity with ever-changing displays providing access to art to the people that helped to fund it?”
6. “I look forward to visiting this museum and experiencing its uniqueness.”
7. “It’s one of the worst decisions in art-world history. Destroy perfectly functional galleries and spend hundreds of millions on smaller galleries. And they are ugly. It’s a mockery of art to place a beautiful painting on those concrete walls.”
8. “I knew there would be a bunch of negative Nellies in the comment section lol. I LOVE the new building and interior spaces (as pictured) I can’t wait to see and experience the unique curatorial displays!”
9. “How exciting for Los Angeles! I can’t wait to see it and love that we now have such a world class forward thinking art museum in L.A. Money well spent.”
I’m Arts editor Jessica Gelt, getting the conversation started. Here’s your arts and culture news for the week.
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The week ahead: A curated calendar
FRIDAY Blue Kiss An SAT tutoring session takes unexpected twists and turns when a teacher learns his student is not who she claims to be in this drama by playwright Stephen Fife. Directed by Mike Reilly. 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays, through May 17. Ruskin Group Theatre, 2800 Airport Ave., Santa Monica. ruskingrouptheatre.com
Camerata Pacifica Principal pianist Gilles Vonsattel performs his second solo recital of the season featuring three piano sonatas by Beethoven. 7 p.m. Friday. Music Academy of the West, 1070 Fairway Road, Santa Barbara; 8 p.m. Sunday. Zipper Hall, 200 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. cameratapacifica.org
Danish String Quartet and Danish National Girls’ Choir Two of Denmark’s cultural treasures team up for an evening that includes a new work by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang. 7 p.m. Friday. Granada Theatre, 1214 State St., Santa Barbara. artsandlectures.ucsb.edu; 8 p.m. Saturday. Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 615 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. philharmonicsociety.org
Lise Davidsen and Freddie De Tommaso The celebrated opera singers return backed by an all-star orchestra of classical musicians. 7:30 p.m. BroadStage, Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center, 1310 11th St. broadstage.org
History of the Tango Violinist Martin Chalifour, in musical dialogue with guitarist Mak Grgic, reveals the evolution of Argentina’s iconic style. 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Sierra Madre Playhouse, 87 W. Sierra Madre Blvd. sierramadreplayhouse.org
Installation view, “Instant Theatre: Rachel Rosenthal and King Moody,” 2026. Roberts Projects, Los Angeles.
(Paul Salveson/Courtesy of the artist and Roberts Projects)
Instant Theatre: Rachel Rosenthal and King Moody Archival material and design elements set the scene for this exhibition exploring the experimental theatre movement founded by Rosenthal in 1955 and continued with her husband into the 1960s, an antecedent to the performance art of the 1960s and 1970s. Through May 23. Roberts Projects, 442 S. La Brea Ave. robertsprojectsla.com
Spectacular Brooding Writer, dancer and experimental filmmaker Harmony Holiday explores Black grief in this multimedia exhibition involving the preparation of a solo dance piece. On Wednesdays at noon, Holiday will take Katherine Dunham Technique classes with choreographer Bernard Brown in the gallery. Noon-6 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday; Through July 5. REDCAT, 631 W. 2nd St., downtown L.A. redcat.org
Turangalîla Australian conductor Simone Young leads the L.A. Phil, featuring Jean-Yves Thibaudet on piano and Cynthia Millar on the theremin-like 1920s instrument ondes martenot, in Olivier Messiaen’s symphony inspired by the tragic romance of Tristan and Isolde. 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. laphil.com
Tyshawn Sorey Trio Featuring the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and multi-instrumentalist, pianist Aaron Diehl and bassist Harish Raghavan, this modern jazz ensemble riffs on original compositions and breathes new life into the American Songbook. 8 p.m. UCLA Nimoy Theater, 1262 Westwood Blvd. cap.ucla.edu
SATURDAY The Baptist Witches of Shelbyville Mamie Gummer and Gigi Bermingham star in a new Southern Gothic comedy written by Julie Shavers and directed by Daniel O’Brien. 8 p.m. Saturday; April 17-18, April 25, May 1. Whitefire Theatre, 13500 Ventura Blvd. Sherman Oaks. whitefire.stagey.net
The Ifugao people of the Philippines leaving a harvest, from the immersive exhibition, “Mountain Spirits: Rice and Indigeneity in the Northern Luzon Highlands, Philippines.”
(Fowler Museum)
Mountain Spirits: Rice and Indigeneity in the Northern Luzon Highlands, Philippines An immersion into the world of the Ifugao, an Indigenous Filipino group known for high-altitude farming, via this exhibition’s carved guardians, ritual bowls, woven blankets, farming tools, soundscapes and video installations. Opening, 6-9 p.m. Saturday; Walkthrough, 1 p.m. Sunday; “Decolonizing Philippine History” talk, 6-8 p.m. Wednesday. Fowler Museum at UCLA, 308 Charles E. Young Drive North. fowler.ucla.edu
Mutate L.A. Dance Project presents this selection of multi-medium performances curated by Masha Cherezova, whose relationship to dance changed dramatically when she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. The evening includes performances from Skylar Campbell, former principal dancer of Canada National Ballet, and dancer Jaclyn Oakley, USC BFA student Garris Munez in a world premiere choreographed by Cherezova, and comedian and breast cancer survivor Julia Johns, plus film screenings from various artists. All profits will be donated to Blood Cancer United. 8 p.m. 2245 E. Washington Blvd., Los Angeles. ladanceproject.org
OperaFest LA The diverse festival returns to celebrate the city’s rich opera community. Participating companies and venues include Beth Morrison Projects, LA Opera, Long Beach Opera, Overtone Industries, Roy and Edna Disney CalArts Theater, Synchromy, the Industry, the Wallis, and USC Thornton School of Music. The opening week features selected performances from various groups and a panel discussion at the Wallis; Long Beach Opera commemorates the release of the first commercial recording of Anthony Davis’ Pulitzer Prize-winning opera “The Central Park Five,” which was commissioned and premiered by LBO in 2019 and remounted in 2022; and the Industry presents composer Veronika Krausas and Her Rogue’s Gallery performing selections from her work, including “Hopscotch,” “Ghost Opera,” “The Mortal Thoughts of Lady Macbeth.” Kickoff Panel & Performance, 4 p.m. Saturday. The Wallis, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills. 6 p.m. Saturday. “Celebrating the Central Park Five Opera,” 440 Elm, 440 Elm, Long Beach. Veronika Krausas, 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Monk Space, 4414 W. 2nd St., Los Angeles. OperaFest LA continues through May 30. operafestla.org
Temporal Echoes The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and music director Jaime Martín are joined by violinist Anne Akiko Meyers for the West Coast premiere of Eric Whitacre’s “The Pacific Has No Memory” and Vaughan Williams’ “The Lark Ascending.” a timeless ode to lyricism and light. Music Director Jaime Martín unveils Juhi Bansal’s celebratory new work for Sound Investment’s 25th anniversary, followed by the searing intensity of Shostakovich’s Chamber Symphony and the sparkling brilliance of Prokofiev’s “Classical” Symphony. A program of passion, poetry, power, and unforgettable resonance. 7:30 p.m. Zipper Hall, 200 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. laco.org
A Weekend with Bong Joon Ho The Oscar-winning filmmaker hosts screenings of the 2007 thriller “Zodiac,” with special guest, director David Fincher, and his own 2025 sci-fi satire “Mickey 17.” “Zodiac,” 7:30 p.m. Saturday; “Mickey 17,” 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Academy Museum, 6067 Wilshire Blvd. academymuseum.org
SUNDAY Chamber On The Mountain The duo Dyad — violinist Niv Ashkenazi and bassoonist Leah Kohn — performs their own arrangements of selections from Ernest Bloch, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Niccolo Paganini, Irving Berlin, Bruce Babcock, Johann Sebastian Bach, Camille Saint-Saëns and George Gershwin. 3 p.m. Logan House at the Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts, 8585 Ojai-Santa Paula Road, Ojai. chamberonthemountain.com
Eat Me The world premiere of a play, written by Talene Monahon and directed by Caitlin Sullivan, about a group of foodies in search of fulfillment; part of SCR’s annual Pacific Playwrights Festival. Previews, 2 p.m. Sunday, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; Opening night, 7:30 p.m. April 17; continues through May 3. South Coast Repertory, 655 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. scr.org
Poetry in the Garden: Scores National Poetry Month and Earth Month find a natural juncture at this free, daylong event, co-presented with Dublab, featuring live poetry and music inspired by “The Scores Project: Experimental Notation in Music, Art, Poetry and Dance 1950-1975 .” The project is shaped by midcentury experimental artists like Yvonne Rainer, John Cage and Benjamin Patterson. Performers include contemporary DJs. musicians and poets. 11:30 a.m.–6:30 p.m. 1200 Getty Center Drive, L.A. getty.edu
MONDAY
Ruben Ochoa, “Class: C.” The Ochoa family’s former tortilla delivery van transformed into a mobile art gallery.
(Ruben Ochoa)
Breakdown/Breakthrough: Art and Infrastructure Part 1 of this two-part exhibition probing the ecological cost of L.A.’s human-made landscape presents the photography of Ruben Ochoa alongside works by Carlos Almaraz and Pat Gomez. Part 2 is “Class: C,” a pop-up gallery created by Ochoa, who transformed his family’s Chevy van into a mobile studio and exhibition space while a student at UC Irvine, and now repurposes it to present work by the school’s current students and alumni. An artist talk with Ochoa is scheduled for April 18. “Breakdown/Breakthrough: Art and Infrastructure,” 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays–Saturdays, through May 16. UC Irvine Langson Museum Interim Gallery, 18881 Von Karman Ave., Irvine. “Class: C” pop-up gallery, Monday-April 18 at the Irvine Barclay Theatre Plaza, 4242 Campus Drive, Irvine; Artist Talk with Ochoa, 2 p.m. April 18. UC Irvine Langson Museum, 3333 Avenue of the Arts, Costa Mesa. imca.uci.edu
TUESDAY
John Waters
(The Luckman)
Going to Extremes: A John Waters 80th Birthday Celebration The boundary-pushing cult filmmaker and raconteur holds court with behind-the-scenes tales and commentary on the brink of his becoming an octogenarian (April 22). 8 p.m. The Luckman Fine Arts Complex at Cal State LA, 5151 State University Drive. theluckman.org
THURSDAY
An image from Barbara Kopple’s “Harlan County, U.S.A.’
(American Cinematheque)
This Is Not A Fiction The American Cinematheque’s celebration of documentary filmmaking kicks off with the 50th anniversary premiere of a 4k restoration of Barbara Kopple’s L.A.”Harlan County, USA” and a Q&A with the filmmaker. The festival continues with screenings and appearances by Ross McElwee (“Sherman’s March,” “Photographic Memory”) and Gianfranco Rossi (“Notturno”), plus anniversary screenings of “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping” and “Jackass Number Two” and more. 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Aero Theatre, 1328 Montana Ave., Santa Monica. The festival runs through April 24 at the Aero; Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd.; Los Feliz Theatre, 1822 N. Vermont Ave. americancinematheque.com
Arts Everywhere
New and recent releases of arts-related media.
Alice Neel: I Am the Century The catalog for the American artist’s first major retrospective in Italy, presented by the gallery Pinacoteca Agnelli in Turin through May 4, provides an artistic and biographical profile of the Pennsylvania-born painter (1900-1984). Neel defied the abstract expressionism of her contemporaries with a distinctive style of portraiture that exposed the psychological truth of her subjects. The bilingual text (English and Italian) features contributions from curators, scholars and artists, alongside 60 of Neel’s works and archival documents. Mousse Publishing: 272 pp. $50.
Daniel Radcliffe, left, Jonathan Groff and Lindsay Mendez in the movie “Merrily We Roll Along.”
(Sony Pictures Classics)
Merrily We Roll Along Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff and Lindsay Mendez star in Maria Friedman’s film of her acclaimed 2025 revival staging of the Stephen Sondheim musical that originally flopped in 1981. “Captured at the Hudson Theatre last year during its Tony-winning Broadway run, this ‘Merrily’ is stirring evidence of a hit production,” wrote Robert Abele in his December review for The Times when the film had a theatrical run. Its story, of a “tight-knit trio of New York creatives whose friendship, depicted backward across decades, feels like a shattered vase being reassembled so that we appreciate the cracks and cohesion.” Netflix, streaming.
Tyshawn Sorey
(John Rogers / Fully Altered Media)
The Susceptible Now Can’t get a ticket to the Tyshawn Sorey Trio’s gig at the Nimoy tonight? No problem. Check out their latest album from 2024, which features covers of some of Sorey’s favorite music. The four tracks, which range from 15 to 22 minutes in length, include “Peresina,” the McCoy Tyner classic from the album “Expansions”; Joni Mitchell and Charles Mingus’ collaboration, “A Chair in the Sky,” from her album “Mingus”; “Bealtine” from the Brad Mehldau Trio; and contemporary soul group Vividry’s “Your Good Lies.” Pi Recordings: Available on vinyl ($35), CD ($14) or digital download ($13).
— Kevin Crust
Culture news and the SoCal scene
Compton artist Fulton Leroy Washington — known as Mr. Wash — at his studio.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Painter Fulton Leroy Washington — known as Mr. Wash — recently opened a new exhibit, “The City of Compton: Then & Now,” which serves as a fundraiser for a $15-million community arts center that Mr. Wash plans to build on his property. “The Art by Wash Studio & Community Center … is being designed to provide housing, studio space and support for formerly incarcerated artists with artistic talent,” writes contributor Jane Horowitz about the Morphosis Architects-designed complex.
Times classical music critic Mark Swed got the scoop on the latest Los Angeles Philharmonic appointment. “With Gustavo Dudamel’s final season as music and artistic director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic reaching its homestretch, the orchestra has announced the appointment of its latest not music director. Anna Handler, a former Dudamel fellow and rapidly rising young conductor, will be given the new title of conductor-in-residence for the next three seasons,” Swed writes.
On a recent trip to New York City Swed noticed how much the Big Apple owes to L.A. for its current cultural offerings. L.A. artists are reshaping New York’s major institutions, Swed writes, noting that Gustavo Dudamel is revitalizing the New York Philharmonic and Yuval Sharon of the Industry is directing the Met’s “Tristan und Isolde.”
Director Knud Adams is photographed at the Wallis in Beverly Hills.
(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
Times theater critic Charles McNulty sat down for an interview with theater director Knud Adams, who has staged world premieres of back-to-back Pulitzer Prize-winning plays — both of which are heading to Los Angeles. “English” opened Thursday at the Wallis Annenberg Center, and “Primary Trust” will land at the Mark Taper Forum on May 20. “He has become one of the most prized directors of new work in the country, and now Los Angeles will get a sample of his textually nuanced, scenically surprising excellence,” McNulty writes of Adams.
Finally, Malia Mendez wrote a piece about the upcoming two-year closure of the Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits. Your last day, to visit is July 6. “Prior to closing, the Tar Pits will host a free public KCRW Summer Nights event June 12 and a members-only, disco-themed dance party June 27,” Mendez writes, noting that the closure will facilitate the “first significant overhaul in [the museum’s] 50-year history.”
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CineVita near SoFi Stadium is staging “Teen Beat Live,” an immersive concert experience, through May 17.
(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)
Remember CineVita — the 15,000-square-foot Spiegeltent at Hollywood Park next to SoFi Stadium? It’s staging a glitzy tribute to the upbeat, universally loved (or at least known) music of 1980s cinema, running through May 17. Called, “Teen Beat Live,” the immersive concert experience is sure to have you racing to find your old VHS copies of John Hughes films.
Did I tell you about the golden toilet installation on the promenade near the Lincoln Memorial? It was placed there by the satirical arts group Secret Handshake as a criticism of President Trump’s White House renovations. “This toilet, spray-painted gold and set on a faux-marble pedestal, is the latest in a series of protest artworks and installations taking aim at President Donald Trump and his administration. A plaque on each side of the structure reads: a Throne Fit for a King,” writes the Washington Post.
Countries in the region welcome the temporary truce and urge negotiations for the war’s permanent end.
Iran and the United States have agreed to a two-week ceasefire and allow safe transit through the Strait of Hormuz.
The warring sides agreed to suspend attacks as the war entered its 40th day, with hopes now pinned on a peace deal through talks set to begin in Pakistan on Friday.
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The truce in the early hours of Wednesday came after US President Donald Trump said he would suspend attacks, subject to Tehran agreeing to fully reopen the crucial Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 percent of global oil flows.
Iran’s foreign ministry said a safe passage through the vital waterway will be possible for a period of two weeks through coordination with the country’s armed forces.
The weeks-long fighting had embroiled nearly the entire Middle East. Iran launched retaliatory attacks by claiming to target US assets in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Gulf states alleged the Iranian attacks targeted civilian infrastructure as well.
Lebanon was also drawn into the war on March 2 after Tehran-aligned Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel. Israel has backed the two-week ceasefire with Iran, but has said it does not include Lebanon, despite Pakistan first announcing that the truce does.
Against this backdrop, here is how the Gulf and other Middle Eastern nations are reacting to the ceasefire announcement:
Saudi Arabia
The kingdom’s foreign ministry said it “welcomes” the ceasefire announcement. It urged an end to attacks on countries in the region and said that the Strait of Hormuz should be opened.
Saudi Arabia also hopes the ceasefire will “lead to a comprehensive sustainable pacification”, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
United Arab Emirates
Anwar Gargash, the diplomatic adviser to the UAE President, said the “UAE triumphed in a war we sincerely sought to avoid”.
“We prevailed through an epic national defense that safeguarded sovereignty and dignity and protected our achievements in the face of treacherous aggression,” Gragash said in a post on X.
“Today, we move forward to manage a complex regional landscape with greater leverage, sharper insight, and a more solid capacity to influence and shape the future”, he added, hailing “the UAE’s renaissance model”.
Oman
Oman’s foreign ministry said in a statement published on X that it welcomes the announcement of a ceasefire between Iran and the US and appreciates “the efforts of Pakistan and all parties calling for an end to the war”.
“We affirm the importance of intensifying efforts now to find solutions that can end the crisis from its roots and achieve a permanent cessation of the state of war and hostilities in the region,” the ministry said.
Iraq
Iraq’s foreign ministry said it “welcomes” the ceasefire but called for “serious and sustainable dialogue” between the US and Iran.
The ministry “calls for building upon this positive step by launching serious and sustainable dialogue tracks that address the root causes of the disputes and strengthen mutual trust,” it said on X.
Iraq has been drawn into the US-Israeli war on Iran, with Tehran-backed armed groups and US forces trading fire in an escalating cycle of violence.
Egypt
The Egyptian foreign ministry said the ceasefire “represents a very important opportunity that must be seized to make room for negotiations, diplomacy, and constructive dialogue”.
The ministry said in a statement on Facebook that a truce must be built upon with a full commitment to “stopping military operations and respecting freedom of international navigation”.
The post also said that Egypt will continue efforts with Pakistan and Turkiye “to promote security and stability in the region”, and that the talks between the US and Iran “must take into account the legitimate security concerns” of Gulf nations.
Turkiye
Turkiye welcomed a ceasefire in the Iran war and said it would support negotiations set to take place in Islamabad, the Turkish foreign ministry said on Wednesday.
It stressed the need for the ceasefire to be fully implemented on the ground and said all parties must adhere to the agreement.
Rangers say “all parties must be prepared to have their actions and decision-making subjected to proper scrutiny”, with Celtic referencing “serious concerns” raised by supporters about pre-match access arrangements.
The Ibrox club have called for the review to be “thorough and wide-ranging” and to “include the broader context” around the match, from initial decisions on ticket allocation through to the post-match incidents.
Their statement adds: “The disorder that occurred on Sunday was unacceptable and we condemn it unequivocally. Safety must always come first in football, for supporters, players and everyone working in and around the game.
“There are now a number of serious issues which require proper examination. For that reason, we agree that there should be a fully independent review into the events surrounding the match.”
Rangers have vowed to represent the club and their supporters “robustly” but say they will take action – “including the potential withdrawal of ticketing privileges and stadium bans” – against anyone identified and convicted.
The club also say they are “appalled” to discover graffiti mocking the Ibrox disaster, which claimed the lives of 66 supporters in January 1971.
They add: “To desecrate their memory is vile. It is cowardly. It is shameful. This is not football rivalry and it is not banter. It is the abuse of a tragedy that claimed 66 lives.”
Meanwhile, Celtic say they are awaiting a response from the Green Brigade regarding safety and security measures – as required by the police and Glasgow City Council’s Safety Advisory Group – to allow the club “to advocate re-entry” of the banned fan group to Celtic Park.
Star NBA players like LeBron James take to social media to praise the Miami player’s incredible scoring achievement.
Published On 11 Mar 202611 Mar 2026
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Miami Heat centre Bam Adebayo’s 83-point performance against the Washington Wizards on Tuesday – the second-highest scoring game in NBA history – was a historic statistical line no one saw coming.
The Heat star shot 20-43 from the floor and was 7-22 from beyond the three-point line. Thirty-six of his 83 points came from the free-throw line (36 of 43).
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Entering the game, Adebayo was averaging just 18.9 points per night this season, placing him outside the top 40 scorers in the league.
Now, the 28-year-old only trails the legendary Wilt Chamberlain for most points scored in a single NBA game after he passed the late Kobe Bryant’s 81-point masterpiece against the Toronto Raptors, set in 2006.
Post-game, Adebayo spoke of the significance of passing Bryant, who he idolised growing up.
“To be 83 and passing [Bryant], in my mind, it’s like, what would he say to me? Because I’ve always wanted to have a conversation with him,” Adebayo said. “He’ll probably say, ‘Go do it again.’
“Just a surreal moment being in the company with somebody that you idolised growing up.”
Here is some reaction to the Miami big man’s incredible scoring feat from some of the biggest names in the NBA:
“BAM BAM BAM ,” wrote LeBron James, the NBA’s all-time career leading scorer, on X.
Former Miami Heat legend Dwayne Wade wrote: “83 for Cap”
Houston Rockets star Kevin Durant, who was asked about Adebayo’s achievement in a post-match news conference on Tuesday, said:
“I couldn’t believe it when I was hearing about it in real time. He got 30 in the first quarter … Congratulations to Bam. I know how much work he puts in.
“I looked at the statsheet, and it’s pretty crazy, 40 shots, 40 free throws, 20 threes, that takes a lot of stamina man, that takes a lot of energy to not only go out there to put those shots up, but also make them to set the record to surpass Kobe [Bryant] as the second-highest scorer in the history of the game,” Durant added.
WNBA player A’ja Wilson, left, and Adebayo embrace after he scored a career-high 83 points [Megan Briggs/Getty Images via AFP]
