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Legendary LA Lakers star, the late Kobe Bryant retired exactly five years ago on the 13th of April 2016. He signed off in style with a 60-point game against the Utah Jazz to mark the end of his 20-year long illustrious career in the NBA.
Kobe Bryant's mentality to be the best is what set him apart from his colleagues. He broke many records during his career, winning five NBA championships, two finals MVP awards, 18 All-Star appearances, and the 2007-08 league MVP award.
Remembering Kobe Bryant's 5 highest-scoring games
Kobe Bryant was one of the league's elite scorers during his time in the NBA. He retired as the third-highest scorer and second on the list of most 60-point games. Kobe averaged 25 points per contest throughout his career, with his season-best being a whopping 35.4 points per game in the 2005-06 season.
Kobe Bryant mesmerized fans with terrific performances throughout his career, right up until his last outing in the league. On that note, we take a look at the five highest-scoring games of his career.
#1 81 points vs. Toronto Raptors (January 22, 2006)
Kobe Bryant's 81-point game is one of the most talked-about individual performances in the history of the NBA, and is brought up in any conversation surrounding the Lakers legend even today. At the time, Kobe was having a career-best season, leading the league in scoring averages at 35.4 points per game.
It remains the second-highest individual score by a player in a game, with Wilt Chamberlin's 100-point game being the first.
Kobe Bryant shot 28-of-46 from the field, including 7-of-13 from 3-point range and 18-of-20 from the foul line. The LA Lakers came away with a W, as the game finished 122-104 in their favor.
#2 65 points vs. Portland Trail Blazers (March 16, 2007)
Kobe Bryant was a beast in the 2006-07 season. His historic streak of scoring 50 points or more in four consecutive games started with this 65-point game against the Blazers in a regular-season matchup on 16th March 2007.
The LA Lakers were coming off a seven-game losing streak heading into the contest, and Kobe Bryant scored more than half of his team's total to lead them to a 116-111 win. He shot 23-of-39 from the field, 8-of-12 from downtown, and 11-of-12 from the free-throw line, playing 49:58 minutes, including overtime.
#3 62 points vs. Dallas Mavericks (December 20, 2005)
While Kobe Bryant has had two games in which he has outscored his 62-point effort in this game, this one was just as special. The reason is that Kobe did this in just three quarters and wasn't even needed in the fourth quarter to see out the game.
On top of that, he did it against a Dallas team that was led by Dirk Nowitzki, followed by Adrian Griffin, Devin Harris, and Marquis Daniels, who were all terrific wing defenders at the time. That Mavs team even went on to record 60 wins that season and even reached the NBA Finals that year.
Kobe Bryant outscored the entire Dallas Mavericks team 62-61 during those three-quarters of the game, which the LA Lakers eventually won 112-90. He shot 18-of-31 from the field, made four 3-pointers, and an impressive 22-of-25 from the free-throw line.
#4 61 points vs. New York Knicks (February 2, 2009)
In the LA Lakers' 2009 Championship-winning season, Kobe Bryant recorded one of the best games of his career. He broke the record for most points scored by a player at MSG in the NBA, scoring a season-best 61 points against the New York Knicks.
It was later broken by Carmelo Anthony, who scored 62 points in a game in 2014. Kobe, however, along with James Harden, still holds the record for most points at MSG by an opposition player.
The win was a remarkable one considering the injuries that had piled up for the LA Lakers on that six-game East Coast road trip, which included matches against LeBron James and the Cavs, and Boston's big-three of Pierce, Garnett, and Allen. Kobe made 19 of his 31 field goal attempts and knocked down each one of his 20 free-throw attempts.
#5 60 points vs. Memphis Grizzlies (March 22, 2007) & 60 points vs. Utah Jazz (April 13, 2016)
Memphis Game:
Amidst his streak of scoring 50 or more points in four consecutive games, Kobe Bryant had a 60-point game against the Memphis Grizzlies during his dominant scoring tear in the 2006-07 season. It was his fourth career game in which he had 60 points or more, tying him with Michael Jordan for the most 60-point games of all time.
Kobe shot 20-of-37 from the field and 15-of-16 from the charity line, helping the LA Lakers win the game 121-119.
Utah Jazz Game:
The 60-point game against the Utah Jazz was the final game of Kobe Bryant's NBA career. Many expected him to have a decent 30-point outing, but Kobe being Kobe, did not sign off on a low. He amassed the fifth 60-point game of his career, breaking Michael Jordan's record, showing he still had the energy, the passion and the grit to put out a Mamba masterclass.
Kobe Bryant's final game had every special trick and skill of his on full display: the fadeaways, the mid-range jumpers and reverse layups.
He shot 22-of-50 from the field and 10-of-12 from the charity line, helping the Lakers clinch a 101-96 win to sign off and produce one of the most memorable games in the history of the league.
Guess the Lakers players!
