Kobe Bryant Legacy

Kobe's 81-point masterpiece: a night of historic scoring.

Kobe Bryant scored a career-high 81 points for the Los Angeles Lakers on January 22, 2006, in a 122–104 win over the Toronto Raptors.

Quick Facts

Championships won: 5
All-star selections: 18

Lore & Background

The game occurred during Bryant's extraordinary 2005–06 scoring season, which included 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 that season, the highest PPG total since Michael Jordan’s 37.09 in 1986–87.

Reader's Guide

In the first quarter, Bryant scored 14 points, including his 61st consecutive free-throw make on the season. He finished with 81 points, shooting 28-of-46 from the field, including 7-of-13 on three-pointers, with 55 points in the second half.

Did You Know?

Bryant's 81 points were at the time the most points scored since the NBA–ABA merger and second-most in NBA history, since surpassed by Bam Adebayo's 83-point game in 2026.
The game was televised locally in Los Angeles on FSN West with Bill Macdonald filling in for Joel Meyers.
The Lakers trailed 63–49 at halftime and 71–53 in the third quarter before Bryant led the comeback.