Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
Getty
On Jan. 22, 2006 Kobe Bryant scored 81 points against the Toronto Raptors.
In 2020 one of the greatest players to ever play in the NBA passed away. Kobe Bryant’s death was felt by many across the world. Though he’s no longer here, his legacy is still remembered and he will always be remembered for what he did on and off the court.
20 years ago today, Bryant made history. On Jan. 22, 2006 he scored 81 points against the Toronto Raptors. Bryant’s 81-point performance is the most all-time in a game by any player in the Los Angeles Lakers organization. He is currently second all-time in most points in a game by a player, behind Wilt Chamberlain who scored 100.
Bryant’s performance that game was legendary and many still remember that remarkable performance like it happened yesterday.
Kobe Bryant’s Iconic Performance
The Lakers defeated the Raptors 122-104 as Bryant scored a majority of the points while his team contributed a combined total of 41 points. Bryant started the game off hot, scoring 14 points in the first quarter. He followed that up with a 12-point second quarter as he was clicking on all cylinders and scoring at will.
During the second half, he turned things up a notch. Bryant went off in the third quarter finishing with 27 points bringing his total to 53 and in the fourth quarter he continued to attack and make shots scoring 28 points bringing the final total to 81. He shot 60 percent from the field and 53 percent from three. Bryant also made a total of 18 free throws.
Five years after his prolific performance, Bryant talked about the mindset he had going into that game. “I just remember we were down 16 points to a bad Raptors team and we had just lost I think to Houston the game before and it was just kind of doom and gloom. We needed to win and I just got hot,” Bryant said in an ESPN article.
“I really don’t think about it too much,” Bryant added. “I still don’t know how the hell it happened, to be honest with you. It’s just one of those things, I guess.”
That performance against Toronto just adds to the many great performances that Bryant had over the course of his career and for Bryant, it was just another game.
NBA Players Remembering Kobe Bryant’s Performance
NBA star Kevin Durant was asked where he was during Bryant’s 81-point performance. Durant went on to say that he was in an apartment watching the game with his father. “Kobe’s game happened to come on during the last game, Durant said. “Obviously you didn’t know he was going to score 81. We finally said you know what we’re going to stay up and watch some Lakers basketball and it was a great decision by us.”
Bryant left a lasting impact on the game of basketball and he has impacted many players who play in the league today. He was a player who did what it took to be a winner and wanted to cement himself as one of the best of all-time. Bryant will continue to impact many generations of basketball players and athletes in general and he will always be remembered.