Kobe Bryant is widely regarded as one of the best players to ever play in the NBA. While Kobe had a plethora of skills in his arsenal, his biggest strength was his insane scoring ability. It’s no doubt why he’s considered the greatest scorer of the 2000s decade.
When we talk about Bryant’s scoring prowess, there is one game that is always mentioned. Yes, we are referring to the game against the Toronto Raptors in 2006 when the Los Angeles Lakers legend dropped 81 points. It was one of the best scoring games that fans ever saw and is still remembered by every NBA fan as it happened yesterday.
It was also the only game that Kobe’s grandma ever watched live. So, it was a memorable night for the Black Mamba. But many believe that if Kobe had been in the game for a bit longer, he could have broken Wilt Chamberlain’s record of scoring 100 points in a game.
John Salley Reveals Brand New Information About Kobe Bryant’s 81-Point Game
The 4x NBA champion and former teammate of Kobe Bryant, John Salley, recently made an appearance in an episode of the Club Shay Shay podcast. During the interview, Salley revealed that Phil Jackson apparently intentionally benched Kobe to prevent him from breaking Wilt’s scoring record.
(Starts at 1:09)
.@thejohnsalley says LeBron won’t pass Kareem as the All-Time Leading Scorer 👀
“You’re going to be really mad…Phil Jackson once told me: ‘Some records need to stand.’” pic.twitter.com/jYGvVRimGg
— Club Shay Shay (@ClubShayShay) November 7, 2022
“I didn’t agree with something Phil Jackson said to me … I said, ‘Phil, Kobe had 81. No matter what you do, he was about to get 104.’ They would’ve kept feeding him the ball. The other side would’ve been like, ‘Don’t hurt him.’ But, there would’ve been clearouts, and Kobe would’ve got 104. He goes, ‘Well, some records need to stand.’ And I was like, ‘Wow.’ He goes, ‘He’s No. 2. He doesn’t need to be No. 1.’”
Salley narrated this story in the context of LeBron James on being heels of breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record. The former NBA big man believes that some records are never meant to be broken, and according to him, KAJ’s scoring record is one of them.
But at the end of the day, James is on pace to easily break Kareem’s record. Unless the King gets injured, there is no way that he won’t surpass Jabbar as the top scorer in the NBA by the end of this season.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9NILK4OXpo
