The history of the NBA changed the January 22, 2006. Kobe Bryantone of its historic stars recognized for her talent and personality, would change the rules: 81 points with the Los Angeles Lakers against the Toronto Raptors, in one of the greatest feats of sport of all time. And only one player, in 1962, surpasses this record.
Bryant’s two decades in the NBA were full of triumphs: five championships, seven Finals, fifteen postseason trips, awards, accolades and distinctions. But for many, the 2006 game remains the pinnacle of their sporting lives.
He is considered one of the greatest athletes of all time: he won five NBA championships with the Lakers and two Olympic gold medals with the United States team. He was an 18-time All-Star, 15-time All-NBA (11 of them in the first team), 12 times a member of the best defensive teams, MVP of the Season in 2008, MVP of the Finals in 2009 and 2010, and maximum league scoring in 2006 and 2007.
Bryant gave the direct jump from the Lower Merion Institute of Philadelphia to the NBA. In the 1996 league draft, he was selected 13th overall, when the then general manager of the Lakers, Jerry West witnessed his potential and abilities.
Already wearing the Los Angeles city team jersey, in his second season, he became the youngest player to play in a All Star Game. From there, he began to play more minutes and have more importance in the team, although without becoming a starter yet.
But everything would change with the arrival of Phil Jackson as team coach. His course changed and he became one of the best guards the NBA has ever seen: he appeared in the second best quintet in the league, in the best defensive team and in the All-Star Game as a starter.
Formed alliance with Shaquille O’Nealand together, they led their team to achieve three consecutive titles between 2002 and 2003. And after the departure of his partner in 2004, he became the solo star of his team. After losing in the Finals in 2008, he led the Lakers to two consecutive championships in 2009 and 2010.
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Injuries were part of his life, accompanying him in his last years, and led to him announcing his retirement at the end of the 2015-16 season. He April 13, 2016 the fields witnessed his last match. It was against the Utah Jazz at the Staples Center, where he scored 60 points: 23 of them in the last quarter (22-50 on field goals), achieving the highest score by a player in the league that season. Becoming the oldest player to score more than 60 points (37 years old), being the highest score in an NBA farewell.
On December 18, 2017, his jerseys with numbers 8 and 24 were retired by the Los Angeles Lakers, marking the first time in NBA history that a team retired two different numbers from the same player.
He January 26, 2020Bryant, along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, Orange Coast Collage baseball team coach John Altobelli and his wife Keri, along with four other people, left John Wayne Airport in Orange in the star’s helicopter. NBA. And around 9:47 in the morning, it crashed in Calabasas and caught fire. Firefighters responded quickly but none of the nine passengers on board survived.
Kobe Bryant helicopter
Initial reports indicated that the helicopter crashed in the mountains above Calabasas in thick fog. But in 2021, the finals concluded that the pilot flew into thick clouds and that disorientation and loss of control led to the accident.
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The history of the party
He January 22, 2006it was the Sunday of the NFL Conference Championship. The Seattle Seahawks and Pittsburgh Steelers advanced to Super Bowl XL. A game between the Lakers and the Raptors was secondary for fans of this sport, several gave it little importance.
The Lakers came into the game in seventh place in the Western Conference. They had lost two games in a row against Sacramento and Phoenix, in which Bryant scored a combined 88 points, but they could not allow another loss at home.
The Los Angeles team was booed in the first half: they were losing 63-49, until halftime. And although Bryant added 26 points at halftime, he had little help. The Raptors increased their lead to 18 points at the beginning of the third quarter, until the star of the night took control.
scored 27 points in that period and ended with the Lakers up 91-85. From that moment on, Bryant delivered one of the most impressive individual performances in NBA history. In the last one, he put 28. The Lakers won 122-104.
Bryant played 41 minutes and 56 seconds on the court on January 22, 2006. Billed 81 pointswith 21 of 33 in field goals, seven of 13 in triples and 18 of 20 in free throws.
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Despite this incredible record, Jackson, the coach who returned a year after his departure, sat him on the bench. There was a feeling in the audience that he could have scored more. And John Salley, former Lakers player, was on a FOX podcast and revealed what happened that night.
Phil Jackson sat Bryant down, after saying: “Some records have to be kept“, referring to Chamberlain’s feat. “I was amazed,” says Salley, and the coach told him that night: “It’s number 2, it doesn’t need to be 1“.
What is the NBA points record?
Throughout history, a small group of players surpassed all records and reached their particular maximum points in a single match, managing to set new records.
Wilt Chamberlain leads the record. On March 2, 1962, the Philadelphia Warriors player scored 100 points in a single game against the New York Knicks. The legend of the Lakers, Kobe Bryant continues behind with its mythical 81 points against the Toronto Raptors.
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And this is the list of the 10 games with the most points in NBA history:
- Wilt Chamberlain: 100 points on March 2, 1962.
- Kobe Bryant: 81 points on January 22, 2006.
- Wilt Chamberlain: 78 marks on December 8, 1961.
- Luka Doncic: 73 points on January 26, 2024.
- Wilt Chamberlain: 73 points on January 13, 1962.
- David Thompson: 73 points on April 9, 1978.
- Elgin Baylor: 71 marks on November 15, 1960.
- David Robinson: 71 entries on April 24, 1994.
- Donovan Mitchell: 71 points on January 2, 2023.
- Damian Lillard: 71 marks on February 26, 2023.
Source: Ambito
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
