On January 22, 2006, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Kobe Bryant delivered one of the most extraordinary performances in NBA history. Facing the Toronto Raptors, Bryant scored 81 points in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 122–104 victory, a feat described by team owner Jerry Buss as “like watching a miracle.”
The Lakers entered the game with a 21–19 record, while Toronto stood at 13–27. The Lakers were in a period of rebuilding following their championship run in the early 2000s. Phil Jackson had returned for his second tenure as head coach, Smush Parker played alongside Bryant in the backcourt, and Kwame Brown, a former No. 1 overall draft pick, was attempting to revive his career.
During the 2005–06 season, Bryant averaged 35.4 points per game, missing only two games despite suffering from soreness in his ankle, wrist, and hips.
- Kobe Bryant scored 81 points on January 22, 2006, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, leading the Lakers to a 122–104 win over the Toronto Raptors — the second-highest single-game point total in NBA history behind Wilt Chamberlain’s 100.
- Bryant outscored the entire Raptors team in the second half (55–41), shooting 28-of-46 from the field, 7-of-13 from three-point range, and 18-of-20 from the free-throw line in 42 minutes of play.
- The game featured reactions from teammates, coaches, and broadcasters who described it as unprecedented — with Phil Jackson calling Bryant’s performance “unbelievably hot,” and Lakers owner Jerry Buss describing it as “like watching a miracle.”
The First Half: A Slow Start and a Surprising Deficit
At halftime, the Toronto Raptors led 63–49. The team shot 65.1%, and Mike James scored 19 points in the first half, hitting five three-pointers. Bryant recorded 26 points on 10-of-18 shooting and had a minus-seven plus-minus rating, but the Lakers struggled to find rhythm.
Raptors assistant coach Jay Triano said the team’s defensive strategy was to guard Bryant individually, stating, “We thought the best way is probably to just stay at home and guard him one-on-one, don’t double-team him.”
Raptors broadcaster Paul Jones recalled asking a Lakers staff member who was attending the game, only to hear the reply: “On a Sunday night in January against Toronto?” Most Los Angeles celebrities were reportedly away skiing.
After halftime, Bryant’s energy changed. Reflecting later, he said, “I felt like we were a little lethargic, so I started going full bore. It just turned into something special and I wanted to keep riding the wave, trying to demoralize my opponents.”
The Second Half: A Scoring Avalanche That Changed the Game
Bryant’s second-half performance was one of the greatest scoring displays in NBA history. He scored 27 points in the third quarter and 28 points in the fourth, totaling 55 points in the half and outscoring the Raptors 55–41.
At one stage, Toronto led by 18 points, but Bryant’s offensive explosion completely reversed the momentum.
Raptors play-by-play announcer Chuck Swirsky said Bryant “refused to lose. He ignited a Lakers rally.” A turning point came when Bryant stole the ball late in the third quarter and finished with a breakaway dunk, giving the Lakers the lead.
Raptors media relations director Jim LaBumbard recalled, “Kobe outscored our entire team 27–22 in the third quarter. You knew then the game was over.”
Head coach Phil Jackson later said, “It got to be desperation, where no one else could get anything done, and we had to go to the guy with the hot hand. And this guy had an unbelievably hot hand.”
Raptors defenders Jalen Rose, Morris Peterson, and Joey Graham all took turns guarding Bryant. According to Triano, “By that point, it didn’t matter. He was pulling up before the double team got there. He was in that zone.”
Guard Mike James, frustrated he wasn’t assigned to defend Bryant, recalled telling head coach Sam Mitchell, “Are you serious? This dude is beyond [on fire] right now, and you’re worried about foul trouble?”
Dan Gladman, a Raptors TV producer, said, “It became a busy job, because I was updating that line every time he scored. Everybody in the truck realized this wasn’t about Raptors basketball or even the Lakers. This was becoming a historic NBA event.”
By the fourth quarter, the Staples Center crowd stood for every possession. Sideline reporter Norma Wick said, “It got to the point where every time Kobe touched the ball you expected he would score.”
Reactions from the Lakers Bench, the Booth, and the Court
From players on the court to broadcasters at the booth, everyone inside the arena shared the same sense of disbelief.
Lakers public address announcer Lawrence Tanter said official scorer John Radcliffe “was having a very difficult time finding room in the boxes on the scorebook to put all these points down that Kobe was scoring. He just kept going, ‘Man, I’ve got to write smaller.’” Radcliffe, who passed away in 2009 at age 73, later gave Bryant a framed copy of the scorebook as a keepsake.
Forward Luke Walton said, “It was one of the few times I felt like a fan instead of his teammate. I had him sign a ticket for me after the game.”
Broadcaster Bill Macdonald, filling in for Joel Meyers, said, “The first half was just awful. The Lakers were horrible. They needed every single one of Kobe’s points in the second half to come back.” He added, “If they doubled Kobe once or twice, that was all. They played him straight-up almost the whole game.”
Sitting beside analyst Stu Lantz, Macdonald remembered, “Halfway through the third, we knew something special was happening.” When Bryant hit 80 points, Lantz stood, removed his headset, and applauded, leaving “dead air” on the broadcast.
Head coach Phil Jackson, who had previously coached Michael Jordan, said, “That’s exhausting. That’s pretty amazing. The kid is unbelievable.”
Raptors guard Jalen Rose said, “Kobe never bumped his chest. He never pointed in the crowd. He never trash-talked. If he had, he wouldn’t have got to 51, let alone 81.” Rose noted that Bryant’s 81-point game wasn’t his best, citing his 62-point performance in three quarters against the Dallas Mavericks a month earlier.
Postgame: The Aftermath and the Legacy of 81
Bryant’s final stat line was among the most complete in NBA history: 81 points, 28-of-46 field goals (60.9%), 7-of-13 from three-point range, 18-of-20 free throws, six rebounds, two assists, three steals, three turnovers, and one blocked shot in 42 minutes.
He scored against eight different Raptors defenders, including Rose (18 points allowed on 6-of-11 shooting) and Peterson (17 on 6-of-13). Others included Mike James, Joey Graham, Matt Bonner, Jose Calderon, Chris Bosh, and Pape Sow.
As Bryant exited the game with 4.2 seconds remaining, the 18,997 fans in attendance chanted “M-V-P!” His final two points came from two free throws with 43.4 seconds left.
Afterward, Bryant’s wife Vanessa and daughter Natalia, then a toddler, met him courtside. The Lakers conducted their postgame interview in the news conference room, rather than in the locker room.
Bryant said, “I’m terrible at saving stuff. My wife is much better at it. They’ll save the game sheet and frame it up. When I look back and I have a pot belly and all that, I’ll be happy that she did.”
Later that night, Bryant spoke with Magic Johnson, saying, “Talking to Magic after the game meant more to me than the game itself, because I idolized him as a kid. For him to call me and tell me what a great game it was and how proud he was of me, that meant more to me than 81 points.”
Coach Phil Jackson later reflected, “Someone needed to do something on that Sunday night… and this guy had an unbelievably hot hand.”
Ranking Among the Greatest Performances
Bryant’s 81-point performance remains second only to Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game on March 2, 1962, in Hershey, Pennsylvania—a game that had no television footage. Since that historic night, the 70-point mark had only been crossed six times, and only twice since 1963, most notably David Robinson’s 71 points against the Los Angeles Clippers in 1994.
Bryant’s total was the highest-scoring game ever televised live in NBA history.
Looking back on the game, Bryant said, “Not even in my dreams. It’s about the win. It turned into something special.”
Reactions and Reflections Across the Country The Day After
The influence of Bryant’s performance extended far beyond Los Angeles. In Memphis, Tennessee, Tarik Black, then a 15-year-old student at Ridgeway High School, recalled, “Everybody was amped because everyone I grew up with were big Kobe fans.”
Raptors guard Morris Peterson said afterward, “I’m proud to have been part of that night. I’m proud to have witnessed something that was only done one other time.”
Raptors forward Matt Bonner joked the next day with Norma Wick, saying the only spot Bryant didn’t hit from was “the left elbow,” and added, “Great, we’ll have to put that on the scouting report.”
Following the game, the Raptors flew to Denver, arriving around 3 a.m., which gave head coach Sam Mitchell a reason to decline early radio interviews the next morning.
Mike James said, “I had a vendetta against Kobe for like the next six, seven years. When I finally got to guard him, I picked up two quick fouls and had to go to the bench.”
Broadcaster Paul Jones preserved his copy of the game’s box score in a plastic sleeve. He said, “I never got it signed,” recalling an ongoing joke with Bryant about forgetting to bring it for an autograph.
