The fact that there's a good portion of the NBA media/fan base that has overcompensated in trying to tear down Bam Adebayo's historic 83-point accomplishment should offer a grim reality check. One that was likely desperately needed.
And it's one that suggests that some in the media and fans of the league are more willing to act as the fun police rather than actually embracing the uniqueness and entertainment of what the NBA (and this specific accomplishment) should represent.
Instead, they'd rather tear a historic accomplishment down than celebrate it.
The Bam Adebayo backlash is bad for the league as a whole
It's a bad look for the league, and one that they should be fighting against, and not necessarily proping up. Looking back at this season, the biggest story in the regular season (at least) will be media and fans tearing down Bam after a once-in-a-lifetime individual accomplishment.
In a moment where the NBA should be garnering headlines for the legendary performance in itself, there are many talking heads running to the mics in hopes of outdoing each other with their level of "disgust" and "disapproval."
It's shameful. It's pathetic. It's bad for the league. And it's downright unforgivable.
I wouldn't go all the way to say that there's no one who hates their own league more than the NBA, but that's the narrative that's building.
The NBA missed the opportunity to embrace a new star
In a time when the NBA should be embracing new stars and accomplishments, it felt as if the league was more occupied with trying to protect the legacy of Kobe Bryant, one that doesn't even need it. In reality, Bam's 83-point performance had little to do with it.
Bam's historic scoring night wasn't about Kobe's legacy. It was about Bam. And the birth of a new superstar. It should've been about that. Unfortunately, much of the league's insecurities altered the narrative.
Bam gifted the league the opportunity to throw heavy support behind a new star. The chance for the NBA to introduce casual fans to a budding young player. Instead, they did nothing but, for the lack of a better word, "poo-poo" on his parade.
This should offer the league the reality check that they didn't even know they needed. But for a league that wants to grow the game, they missed a big chance to do that.
The NBA (its media and fans) need to take a good look at themselves in the mirror and admit that they completely whiffed on this one.