January 22, 2006, holds significant importance for the Los Angeles Lakers and their fans, as it was the day the late, great Kobe Bryant scored a mind-boggling 81 points in a 122-104 victory over the Toronto Raptors.
On the flip side, it’s a day that will forever live in infamy for then-Raptors head coach Sam Mitchell as he watched the Black Mamba rip whatever defense they threw at him and seemingly scored at will.
Advertisement
Mitchell, though, openly admitted that he holds no bitterness when reflecting on that loss, instead recalling how his team gave their all in attempting to contain Bryant’s unstoppable barrage of points. But when a player with the legendary caliber of Kobe is in “the zone,” there’s just nothing anyone can do to stop him.
Sam doesn’t lose sleep over that loss
Before earning his reputation as a distinguished coach, Sam enjoyed a 13-season career in the NBA, with his prime unfolding in the 1990s. During this era, he witnessed countless legendary performances from hoop icons like Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan. That said, as astonishing as Kobe’s offensive outburst was, a part of him wasn’t that surprised considering who the scorer was.
Advertisement
“Listen, I’m not jumping up and down with pom-poms about the 81,” Mitchell said. “But it is what it is. There’s nothing I can do about it, so I don’t stay up at night. If I had my druthers, would I have rather he scored 81 against someone else? Yeah. But, you know, it is what it is. It was Kobe Bryant.”
During the 2005-06 season, Bryant was a force of nature, driven by an unrelenting determination. With his former running mate, Shaquille O’Neal, now thriving with the Miami Heat, Kobe wanted to prove that he could lead the Purple and Gold on his own.
And with a roster devoid of any star power outside of himself, Kobe had the perfect runway to take off and show the world what he was capable of. He finished that campaign averaging 35.4 points — the highest of his illustrious career.
Advertisement
The Raptors were in front
For those who only watched the highlights and not the entire game, the Raptors were actually playing well and were in front by 18, 71-53, after Mo Peterson canned two from the charity stripe with 9:23 to go in the third. It is for that reason that Mitchell isn’t devastated by that loss.
Advertisement
Their offense hummed, and they did all they could against Kobe. It’s just that when a man of his skill goes supernova, there isn’t much to be done.
“I coached the game. I know everything I did. Now, I’m not going to argue or debate with any players that played in that game about what happened,” Mitchell disclosed. “But I think — because I was coaching the game, and I was calling the defense and switching the defense, and I know we played box and 1, I know we played triangle and two, we played zone — we tried everything and everybody got a chance to guard him.”
Sam shared that Kobe himself admitted his iconic 81-point game wasn’t about showcasing his offensive prowess — it was simply a necessity.
Advertisement
“Kobe said this to me years later. He said, ‘Coach, for us to win that game, I had to get 81. It was just one of those nights. There was nothing you could do to stop me that night,'” he shared. “I said, ‘Kobe, I know that. ‘Cause we tried.'”
“And the thing about it, the game doesn’t bother me like people would think because we had a chance to win and I felt like my players played hard,” he continued. “But it was one of those unbelievable moments that great players have. And unfortunately, or fortunately, he had it against us. It was going to happen to someone.”
Bryant was a phenomenal hooper who could do incredible things on both ends. And on that night, he had it going on, resulting in a performance that will live on in NBA history forever. Although Sam was on the receiving end, he recognized that greatness, like what Kobe showed that night, should be celebrated and remembered with awe, not bitterness.
Advertisement
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 7, 2025, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.