.<\/span><\/span><\/p> Kobe Bryant was the closest thing millions of basketball fans ever saw to Michael Jordan. The legendary basketball player who left us too soon due to a helicopter crash will go down in history as the only shooting guard who dared to step into Jordan's shoes and make millions wonder if he wasn't better than the undisputed #1 of all time . <\/span><\/p> Kobe has a number of legendary games on his account with the Los Angeles Lakers - where he spent his entire 20-year NBA career. But (perhaps) none of his hundreds of matches for \u201c<\/span>the lakers<\/span>\u201d is no better than the one he played against Toronto <\/span>Raptors<\/span> on January 22, 2006. <\/span><\/p> On this date, Bryant did the unthinkable and became only the second basketball player to score 80 points in one game - all 81! A feat considered impossible in today's NBA. The only basketball player who realized more than him remains <\/span>Wilt<\/span> Chamberlain scoring 100 points in one game, but also in an era where literally only one basketball player (Bill Russell) could match him. <\/span><\/p> In 2006, Kobe was an example of how "a warrior is a warrior himself. S<\/span>With weak teammates and almost no bench, Kobe embarks on a mission to get the Lakers to the playoffs, committed to doing his best every day. And this match is the epitome of what he has been doing all season. <\/span><\/p> On a warm January night, Kobe electrified the entire Staples Center by single-handedly leading a 122-104 victory over Toronto <\/span>Raptors<\/span> and recorded mind-boggling stats en route to his record. <\/span><\/p> He achieves his 81 points, guarded by two, at the moment<\/span>n<\/span>you and three basketball players. After all, he <\/span>register<\/span> 28\/46 shooting, including 7-of-13 from three in a time where shooting <\/span>"<\/span>beyond the arch\u201d no <\/span>is a major weapon in the arsenal of NBA stars. <\/span><\/p> This streak was part of Kobe Bryant's equally impressive streak spanning a month - December 20, 2005 to January 22, 2006. In addition to the historic 81 points against Toronto, he scored 62 points in just 3 quarters against Dallas (more than the entire team of <\/span>Mavericks<\/span> for 3 parts), recorded another game with 50 or more points, as well as 4 more games with 40 or more points. It's also the last season Bryant will wear #8, one of two numbers currently raised above the floor at Staples Center in honor of the greatest legend in NBA history.<\/span>the lakers<\/span>". <\/span><\/p> .<\/span><\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The eruption of a lifetime<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6280,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,13],"tags":[22,11],"class_list":["post-8931","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all","category-basketball","tag-22","tag-usa"],"yoast_head":"\n