Thursday night marked the 20th anniversary of Kobe Bryant’s epic 81-point game in the Los Angeles Lakers’ victory over the Toronto Raptors. It remains the second-highest-scoring game of all time, trailing only Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game in 1962, but with footage of that game sparse at best, Kobe’s night inside the then-Staples Center truly stands out as the greatest individual scoring performance anyone has seen.
Plenty of Raptors defenders were at the mercy of Bryant that night, including Morris Peterson, Joey Graham, and, of course, Jalen Rose, who still receives barbs from fans to this day for being part of history. For his part, Rose has always had fun with this and even recorded a short sketch with Kobe for his show ‘Jalen vs. Everybody’ back in 2017, in which Bryant asked for 81 olives for his martini while Rose looked on in disbelief.
The clip remains hilarious, with many still enjoying it, including Lakers Governor Jeanie Buss. After a Kobe fan posted the sketch on social media, Buss responded, noting how much she loves the clip while adding that she still misses the Lakers icon every day:
Miss him everyday. Love this clip. #81 @chineseguy88 https://t.co/aft7AM0SFg
— Jeanie Buss (@JeanieBuss) January 23, 2026
The clip was so well received for many different levels. Kobe and Rose had history prior to the 81-point game, with Rose infamously injuring Kobe during the 2000 NBA Finals when he was a member of the Indiana Pacers, so Kobe trolling him later on just made sense. Additionally, fans had just never really seen Kobe in a more relaxed and fun atmosphere at that point, as he was always so serious that it was great to see him joke and laugh at Rose’s expense.
Buss is not alone in loving this sketch, as it still lands today. The long stare down between the two before Kobe finally admits that he’s just joking is just perfectly done, and Rose’s exasperation at even seeing Bryant in the restaurant is hilarious.
Kobe has so many legendary and iconic moments and memories from throughout his career with the Lakers, but this little clip continues to be loved by Buss and so many others, as it gave just a little glimpse into the more human side of the icon.
Lakers Governor Jeanie Buss releases statement addressing relationship with LeBron James
The superstar who eventually took the torch in leading the Lakers after Bryant retired was LeBron James, who played a major role in returning this franchise to greatness. A recent report suggested that Jeanie Buss had soured on LeBron, and she would release a statement in response to that report.
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