On Jan. 22, 2006, Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant scored 81 points against the Toronto Raptorsâthe second-most points in a single game to Wilt Chamberlain's 100.
On the 15th anniversary of Bryant's insane display of offensive talent, Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press shared a statistic that may send some shivers down people's spines, and the NBA world can thank the Miami Heat for making this possible:
Holy Mother of Stat God. It's crazier than I thought.
Jan. 22, 2006 â Kobe scores 81 vs. Toronto.
Exactly 10 years later, Jan. 22, 2016 â Heat score 81 vs. Toronto, lose 101-81.
Exactly 15 years later, Jan. 22, 2021 â Heat score 81 vs. Toronto, lose 101-81. https://t.co/UN5LTo7sdy
â Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) January 23, 2021
Though the Heat were on the wrong side of the 81-point games, it does not take away from the jaw-dropping 81-point performance from Bryant. Jalen Rose, who mostly guarded Bryant on that night, reflected on what it felt like to be a victim of Mamba Mentality, via Jorge Sedano of ESPN:
âWhen you go back and watch that game, he wasnât running around the court doing airplane wings, thumping his chest or pointing at the sky,â Rose recalled. âAs a matter of fact, he didnât say a word.â
âThe Mamba mentality,â Rose said.
An ESPN commercial and nonstop teasing were what resulted after that night for Rose, but he even had to tip his hat to Bryant, as he had a front-row seat to witnessing a legend have the game of his life. Sedano collected the stories from players such as Tony Allen and Shane Battier, some of the best defensive players to ever play the game. They recalled attempting to stop Kobe Bryant in games where they were assigned to him, but it just ended up being a futile task.
Bryant's 81-point game, a feat no one has surpassed ever since, will continue to inspire individuals all around the world to settle for nothing but greatness.
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