Kobe Bryant, Giannis Antetokounmpo
Twenty years ago today, the NBA witnessed one of the most unforgettable scoring performances in league history, when Kobe Bryant poured in 81 points in a single game. As the anniversary of that night arrives, Giannis Antetokounmpo was asked a simple question that quickly highlighted just how much time has passed, where was he when Bryant authored that historic performance.
Giannis did not hesitate with his response.
“I was 11 years old. I wasn’t playing basketball,” Antetokounmpo said. “Probably was at school, man. If it was like a weekend or something, I was probably helping my mom selling stuff.”
The matter of fact answer underscored how Bryant’s 81-point night, which took place on Jan. 22, 2006, has become a generational marker in NBA history. For modern players like Antetokounmpo, it is a moment learned through highlights and stories rather than lived experience.
Kobe Bryant’s 81 Became the Modern Gold Standard
Bryant’s performance came against the Toronto Raptors at Staples Center, now Crypto.com Arena, while he was playing for the Los Angeles Lakers. Unlike Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game, which exists mostly through secondhand accounts, Bryant’s night unfolded live on television, captured shot by shot as it happened.
That visibility helped cement the game as the modern benchmark for individual scoring. Bryant finished with 81 points, six rebounds and three assists, shooting 28-of-46 from the floor, 7-of-13 from three-point range, and 18-of-20 from the free throw line, Barstool Sports reports.
At the time, the game did not enter the night with much fanfare. Toronto was in a rebuilding phase, led by a young Chris Bosh, while the Lakers’ supporting cast featured players like Smush Parker and Chris Mihm alongside Bryant. For much of the early action, the Raptors controlled the tempo and the scoreboard.
That context mattered, especially for Toronto’s coaching staff.
Raptors Coach Recalls Trying Everything to Stop Him
Former Raptors head coach Sam Mitchell recently reflected on the experience of trying to contain Bryant that night. His comments illustrated both the preparation and the inevitability that followed.
“We did everything we could to try to slow this guy down and stop him,” Mitchell said, NBA reports. “I played every defense I could think of. I went all the way back to college defenses that were played against me. A box and one. A triangle and two. When’s the last time you heard someone play a triangle and two? All of that.”
None of it worked.
Mitchell acknowledged that once Bryant found his rhythm, the outcome felt unavoidable.
“But as I said, this is an all-time great,” Mitchell added. “He would’ve had 81 against anyone that night.”
Bryant later admitted he did not fully grasp the magnitude of what had happened in the moment. “I really didn’t understand or was able to grasp what had happened,” he said.
Two decades later, the performance still stands apart. While high scoring games have become more common across the league, Bryant’s 81 remains a singular moment, shaped by circumstance, competition, and timing. For Giannis Antetokounmpo, it represents a night that defined an era, one that took place while he was still a kid far from the NBA spotlight.