NBA Legend Revealed How a Practice Game Led to Kobe Bryant Dropping 61 Points vs Knicks: “He Was Like a Little Kid and We’re the Big Kids”

Most people recognize Kobe Bryant as one of the greatest scorers of all time. With a fearless personality and will to win, the ‘Mamba’ helped the Lakers win 5 titles during his 20-year tenure with the ‘Purple and Gold’. Speaking about his scoring prowess alone, the man has scored 81 points in a single game, along with several more games where he scored 60 points or more. Furthermore, the 81-point game, even today, remains the second highest number of points scored by an individual player in NBA history.

In an interview in 2019, NBA legend Robert Horry, alongside another NBA legend- Gary Payton, narrated a story about Kobe Bryant that would lead him to score 61 points against the New York Knicks.

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Robert Horry on Kobe Bryant

Robert Horry narrated a story about Kobe Bryant where the Lakers team would play a game called ‘String Game’ in practice that involved shooting three-pointers.

“We would play this game practice where we would shoot threes. It’s called String Game. And Kobe would come to try to play with us and be knocked out everytime,” said Horry.

“And so, he would get to practice, like an hour before we get there, shooting threes. And he’s like a little kid now, and we’re the big kids – ‘Ayy, are we playing String Game today?’ Nah dawg. ‘C’mon! let’s play String Game!'” said Horry on Kobe being excited about playing the ‘String Game.’

Horry claimed that Kobe was so competitive that he wanted to defeat the senior players at the game, but always failed despite his massive efforts. Ironically, some years later, Kobe would go on to score 61 points against the Knicks. Horry’s story explained that no matter what, Kobe would not give up. It was his competitiveness that earned him success.

Kobe’s 2008-09 season and the 61 point game

The 61 point game against the Knicks occurred in February 2009 during the 2008-09 season that the Lakers would eventually win. In this game, Kobe dropped 61 points after having shot 50% from the three-point line and 61.3% from the field overall. Added to this, the man would also dish out 3 assists. What is surprising is that during that game, he would not grab any rebounds or make any steals. It was purely a scoring performance, and one of the greatest ever.

Furthermore, Kobe would help the Lakers win a title by defeating the Orlando Magic in 6 games. This win was a redemption for the Lakers who lost out in the finals a season prior. Clearly, the ‘Mamba’ was in decimation mode. He played fearlessly and his numbers show exactly that – an unstoppable scoring machine.

READ MORE: Kobe Bryant Once Expressed Disgust at Players Calling Michael Jordan “Black Jesus”: “I’m Gonna Call Him F*cking Mike”