Lakers: Kobe Bryant's 81 Point Game Still Ranks Among the All-Time Great Performances 16 Years Later

Hard to believe it's already been this long.

It's hard to believe that it was 16 years ago that Lakers fans got to witness one of the greatest scoring performances of all time. Kobe Bryant went on to become the 4th leading scorer in NBA history, but his game against the Raptors in 2006 was the stuff of legends. 

Bryant helped the Lakers to overcome an early deficit against Toronto, turning the game around after falling behind 18 points. He did it by putting up a ridiculous 46 shots and drilling almost 61 percent of them. 

What's lost in that game is the fact that Bryant also sunk 7 of his 13 three-point attempts. He went to the line 20 times and scored 18 points from the charity stripe as well. But his 81 points weren't even the full story. 

16 years ago today, Kobe Bryant made history.

81 points in a game...unreal. 🐍 pic.twitter.com/QRSDdp42ne

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 22, 2022

What's arguably more impressive is the fact that Bryant outscored the Raptors' entire roster in the second half. He put up 55 of his own points while Toroton managed a meager 41. 

Outside of Kobe, the rest of the Lakers roster tallied 41 points. The supporting cast featured starters such as Lamar Odom, Chris Mihm, Kwame Brown, and Smush Parker. That is the definition of putting the team on your back. 

And 16 years later, we still remember that performance as one of the greatest of all time. His 81 point performance is still the closest that any player in the NBA has ever come to Wilt Chamberlin's 100-point game back in 1962.

We miss you dearly Bean, and we will always remember what you did for the Lakers and the city of Los Angeles.