Top Moments: Kobe Bryant drops 81 points on Raptors in 2006
Experience one of the greatest performances in NBA history: Kobe Bryant’s 81-point onslaught against Toronto in 2006.
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The NBA world acknowledged that they would never witness anything similar again when Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points against the New York Knicks on March 2, 1962. The absence of television cameras to record the event only enhanced the legendary status of the performance.
Since that game, the 70-point margin was surpassed six times, only twice after 1963, but that was the limit. David Robinson’s 71-point game against the Clippers in 1994 appeared to be the highest score anyone would ever achieve again.
Kobe Bryant delivered one of the most remarkable single-game performances in NBA history against the Toronto Raptors on January 22, 2006. Bryant racked up 81 points in a 122-104 comeback victory for the Lakers on their home court, shooting 28-of-46 overall, 7-of-13 from 3-point range, and 18-of-20 from the free-throw line. The feat was so extraordinary that even Bryant himself was left astonished.
“Even in my dreams, I couldn’t have pictured this,” Bryant expressed. “It was simply an event that occurred. It’s difficult to articulate. It’s simply one of those inexplicable occurrences.”
Truly, the reality hasn’t sunk in for me yet. I was focused on the win, which is why I gave it my all. It evolved into something remarkable. If I claimed to fully understand what transpired, I would be dishonest.
During a season where Bryant topped the league with an average of 35.4 points per game, his performance against Toronto left even the most experienced NBA spectators in awe.
Both teammates and staff were requesting Bryant’s autograph on the box score copies after the match. Lawrence Tanter, the Lakers public address announcer, was advising fans to keep their ticket stubs. Jerry Buss, the owner of the Lakers at the time, likened the game to witnessing a miracle.
Kobe Bryant put on an unforgettable performance against the Raptors on Jan. 22, 2006, searing them with 81 points.
Perhaps it was Lakers coach Phil Jackson, who had spent nearly a decade coaching Michael Jordan, who put the performance into its proper perspective.
Jackson remarked, “That was indeed a spectacle. It was on a different level. I’ve witnessed some notable games, but I’ve never experienced anything like that before.”
This statement was made by the coach who almost benched Bryant, even though he had scored 77 points and the game’s outcome was already decided. He was just one point away from matching Chamberlain’s 1961 record of 78 points. However, Jackson changed his mind after consulting with Lakers’ assistant coach, Frank Hamblen who warned him, “There would be a riot.”
The fitting chants of “M-V-P! M-V-P!” from the 18,997 fans at Staples Center echoed as Bryant scored his last two points on free throws with just 43.4 seconds left. Bryant’s second half was phenomenal, scoring 55 out of his 81 points – the second highest point total in a half in NBA history. This was only exceeded by Chamberlain’s 59-point second half in his 100-point game.
Explore Kobe’s 81 points from all angles in this quarter-by-quarter analysis.
Bryant went on a scoring rampage when his team was behind by 18 points in the third quarter, accumulating 27 points in the third and 28 in the fourth. He was responsible for all but 18 of the Lakers’ second-half points, single-handedly securing the game.
Bryant was sinking shots from every corner of the court, consistently making contested jumpers, leaving the Raptors clueless.
“Chris Bosh, the Toronto forward, said, “We were just watching him shoot.”
Not only the Raptors were observing. As Bryant would subsequently mention, his 81-point game was the singular professional match his grandmother ever watched him play in person.
She picked the right one.
