Today it marks 17 years since the Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant recorded one of the best games in NBA history with 81 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block in a win against the Toronto Raptors.
To this day, it stands as the second-highest point total in league history and it’s a performance that will be remembered forever.
In honor of the 17-year anniversary, people throughout the NBA community shared their thoughts about the game, and even the man who guarded Kobe that day (former Raptors guard Jalen Rose) looked back on the moment.
“January 22nd, 2006. The NBA world, almost, saw history and that’s when Wilt Chamberlain’s record was challenged. It was a rotisserie. It was a buffet of guys that were on Kobe Bryant. But it didn’t matter. My opinion and I said it multiple times during the game, how about we consider double-teaming him? As a matter of fact, triple teaming him… he never said a word. He never pointed and said ‘it’s all about me.’ Never talked trash.”
“He never said a word. Never talked trash.” – Jalen Rose pic.twitter.com/WwJOcVvIaY
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) January 22, 2023
Kobe put on an absolute clinic that night, and Rose would forever be recognized as the guy who let Kobe drop 81 on his head. As we know now, Bryant went on to have many other great performances during his career, but none topped this one.
Kobe Bryant Admitted The Basket ‘Felt Bigger’ During 81-Point Explosion
Bryant once described the moment as ‘bizarre’ but he also did mention how big the basket felt that day.
“Yeah, I was just feeling emotionally. The feeling I had was I could run all day, the basket is pretty big, didn’t feel like I was in one of those zones where the basket feels like a big bucket, the basket felt bigger and I could see everything that was going on before it was happening,” said Bryant.
While nobody could have predicted the final box score, Kobe knew it was going to be a special night and he took advantage of it.
Today, NBA stars are scoring points like it’s nothing and it seems like only a matter of time before Bryant’s 81-point performance gets topped within the next couple of years.
But regardless of the NBA’s modern scoring surge, dropping 81 in any game is no easy feat and it deserves to be celebrated with the best of them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9NILK4OXpo
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