John Calipari Quote on Bam Adebayo's 83 Goes Viral, Jokes About Holding Players Back in New Video

Bam Adebayo averaged just 7.5 field-goal attempts per game during his one collegiate season at Kentucky, and former head coach John Calipari joked he was clearly holding the Miami Heat star back during that 2016-17 campaign.

"How about Bam had 83 points? How do you score 83 points in an NBA game with other NBA players? Crazy," Calipari told reporters Saturday (14:40 mark). "You know I've had 12 guys score 50 points in that league, and I held them all back if you talk to them."

Adebayo tallied a stunning 83 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks behind 20-of-43 shooting from the field and 36-of-43 shooting from the free-throw line during Tuesday's 150-129 win over the Washington Wizards.

He set the NBA record in free throws made and attempted while also breaking LeBron James' franchise record of 61 points in a game.

Considering the Miami big man has never averaged better than 20.4 points per game in a season throughout his NBA career, it was an astounding performance.

It also was a performance few probably expected when he was at Kentucky with Calipari even if he was an excellent two-way player who was laying the foundation for what could be a Hall of Fame NBA career.

BAM ADEBAYO FINISHES WITH 83

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Adebayo averaged 13.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks a night while shooting 59.9 percent from the field with the Wildcats. He was an All-SEC Second Team selection and helped lead Kentucky to SEC regular-season and conference tournament titles.

Yet it fell short of a national championship or Final Four appearance thanks to an Elite Eight loss to North Carolina.

Perhaps if Calipari let Adebayo shoot more, the Wildcats would have cut down the nets as champions.