LeBron James became famous for his viral moments when he bends the truth. One of them was his interview with Kobe Bryant’s 81-point performance in January 2006.
Over the past 20 years, LeBron James has been in the spotlight. His comments are often analyzed, which leads to him being ridiculed for lying. The infamous moment when people call him was when he spoke to Kobe Bryant in January 2006 about his 81-point match.
James and Bryant have always been connected due to their position as icons for the Los Angeles Lakers, including their time as teammates on Team USA. The four-time MVP knows a lot about the Black Mamba game.
Unfortunately for James, people have already expressed their opinions on his comments. James is ready for his historic 23rd NBA season, but he is still ridiculed about comments about the 2006 game.
On that fateful night in January 2006, Bryant surprised the NBA with his performance. That was not common during that historic month, as Bryant averaged 43.4 points per game in January 2006.
Given that context, it was fair that James said Kobe would go to an 80-point game.
That wasn’t the worst thing to say, as James knew what it took to have a career-best performance, and he saw Bryant in the zone. That performance overshadowed Lea Allen’s fantastic night.
Unfortunately for James, the moment goes viral and people call him a liar. Recently, James cleared it in an interview.
“Every time I say something, everyone thinks it’s a lie. When Kobe dropped 81, I got my partner who was at home.
“When he gets 60, I’m watching games like, ‘Oh, he might go to 80 tonight,'” James said speedily at his 360 complex.
I got a partner that was in my room. At the time, we were living in a house in Ohio and we sat in a small room watching the game.
As one of the best performances of the 21st century, Bryant’s 81-point game is still iconic. No one has overcome that number, but some players were nearby. Joel Embiid, Damian Lillard, Donovan Mitchell and Luka Doncic scored 70 points games in the 2020s.
Unfortunately for them, Bryant is still strong in the combined second-highest single-game total in NBA history. Wilt Chamberlain holds the top spot with 100 points. This is a record that proves unbreakable.
That’s why people are still impressed by what Bryant did in 2006 because he did that in modern times. Chamberlain’s time was 1962, when sports were not fully developed.
Bryant scored 81 points against a decent team, and the Lakers needed performance to win the game after trailing early on. Most NBA fans never forget the night of 81 points and will remain the gold standard for offensive players.