Vanessa Bryant pays touching tribute to Kobe with powerful throwback to his iconic milestone

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Since Kobe Bryant’s 81-point game, there have been four 70-point performances by Luka Doncic, Damian Lillard, Devin Booker and Joel Embiid. Apart from these, there have been countless stellar scoring displays, but none have gotten close to Bryant’s dominant performance against the Raptors.

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He finished the game with 81 points, six rebounds, two assists and three steals, shooting 28-for-46 and 7-for-13 from 3-point range. Bryant also made 18 out of 20 free throws.

His fans look back at his performance against the Raptors as the best scoring display of the modern era. Fans also joke about him having more points than Chamberlain, since Wilt’s 100-point game was never documented.

Nike set to release a signature shoe honoring Kobe Bryant's 81-point game

Nike is also set to pay tribute to Kobe Bryant by honoring his 81-point performance. Bryant’s signature sneakers have been the most popular among athletes. Now, another model is set to join the impressive lineup.

Nike will release the Kobe 1 Protro “81 Points” in the Spring of 2026. The Kobe 1 was Bryant's first signature shoe with Nike and has only been released twice. The last time the shoe made a return was in 2019.

The last release kept the shoe’s original colorway; it is yet to be seen if the 2026 release will maintain the trend. The Nike Kobe 6 and 5 were in the top 10 most-worn sneakers in the NBA last season.

Earlier this year, Vanessa Bryant worked with the company to release “Mambacita” Kobe sneakers to honor their late daughter, Gigi Bryant, on her birthday. Gigi Bryant tragically died with Kobe in a helicopter crash in 2020.

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About the author

Sameer Khan

Sameer is an esports and gaming journalist at Sportskeeda who covers a diverse range of topics. He is currently pursuing a BSc degree from BITS, but his love for video games pushed him to pursue a gaming journalism career. He relies on diligent research and fact-checking to deliver top-notch content. He has previously worked in the hospitality sector with the Oberoi Group.

Sameer’s gaming journey began with Rockstar Games’ GTA franchise, specifically
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories. He strongly prefers multiplayer games, with FPS being his favorite genre, and has devoted 6K+ hours to CS:GO! However, he also dabbles in open-world, story-based games from time to time. Solo RPGs like Horizon Forbidden West hold a soft spot in his heart, and he would readily drop in it given a Jumanji-type scenario.

Sameer makes sure to follow Counter-Strike and Valorant esports tournaments, as he believes that watching a game being played at the highest level can be highly educational. He derives inspiration from Tarik's meteoric rise to become one of the biggest FPS streamers in the world following the release of Valorant.

Outside of work, you can find Sameer playing football or cheering for FC Barcelona. He also likes to read and write poetry.

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