Kobe Bryant
The 81-point game that defined a historic scoring season for the Lakers.
via Wikipedia: Kobe Bryant's 81-point game · see source
Kobe Bryant played for the Los Angeles Lakers, not the Los Angeles Clippers. On January 22, 2006, Bryant scored a career-high 81 points for the Lakers in a 122–104 win over the Toronto Raptors. That game, which the Lakers trailed 63–49 at halftime and 71–53 in the third quarter, saw Bryant play 42 minutes, shooting 28-of-46 from the field, including 7-of-13 on three-pointers, with 55 points in the second half. It was at the time the most points scored since the NBA–ABA merger and second-most points in a single-game in NBA history.
Quick Facts
- Affiliation
- Los Angeles Lakers
- Position
- Shooting Guard
Lore & Background
Kobe Bryant and the Lakers had won three consecutive championships from 2000–2002. However, his image took a hit after he was accused of sexual assault in 2003, and was seen as a contributing factor for his public feud and eventual break-up with co-star Shaquille O'Neal, which led to O'Neal being traded to Miami after the 2003–04 season. Ex-coach Phil Jackson called Bryant "uncoachable" and "selfish" in his book, The Last Season: A Team in Search of Its Soul. In 2004–05, without O'Neal, Jackson, or Derek Fisher, the Lakers failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 1994–95. Entering the 2005–06 season, Bryant was at a career crossroads. Jackson had returned to the team as coach, citing a desire to wanting to work with a more mature Bryant. The early season highlight was a December 20 game against the Dallas Mavericks, which saw Bryant score 62 points in three quarters in a blowout win, including having 62 points to the Mavericks' 61 through three quarters. Phil Jackson allowed Kobe to rest in the fourth quarter because the game was a blowout. Kobe declined to re-enter, saying he would "get it another time".
Reader's Guide
The game occurred during Bryant's extraordinary scoring season in 2005–06, which not only included scoring 81 points, but outscoring the entire Dallas Mavericks team (62–61) through three quarters on December 20, 2005, 40 points or more in 27 games, and six games of 50 points or more. He led the league with 35.4 points per game (PPG) that season, the highest PPG total since Michael Jordan’s 37.09 in 1986–87. Unlike Chamberlain's 100-point game, the game was televised locally in Los Angeles and the surrounding Southern California areas on FSN West (Fox Sports Net West). Bill Macdonald (play-by-play, filling in for Joel Meyers who was calling that year's NFC Championship Game for CBS Radio), Stu Lantz (analyst), and Patrick O'Neal (sideline) were the FSN West television broadcasters. The game was also available in Canada on theScore and on NBA League Pass in North America through a cable provider. Starting for the Lakers was their usual line-up of Smush Parker (PG), Kobe Bryant (SG), Lamar Odom (SF), Kwame Brown (PF), and Chris Mihm (C). The Raptors started Mike James (PG), Jalen Rose (SG), Morris Peterson (SF), Chris Bosh (PF), and Matt Bonner (C).
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