Ten years ago today, January 22, 2006, Kobe Bryant produced arguably the second greatest individual performance in NBA history.
Some will argue that his 81-point effort was equally as impressive as Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game in 1962 because Kobe played six less minutes. Others will argue it does not come close to Wilt’s monster game because there was no 3-point line in 1962 (Bryant shot 7-for-13 from deep).He finished the game shooting 28-for-46 from the floor, 18-for-20 from the free throw line and managed to score a whopping 55 points after halftime.
It remains the second highest individual scoring total in an NBA game, just three points ahead of Chamberlain’s 78-point game in 1961. Wilt owns the third (78), fourth (73), fifth (73) and seventh (72). Nuggets guard-forward David Thompson scored 73 against the Pistons in 1978.
