Worst moment in each NBA franchise’s history
By Brad Rowland
Toronto Raptors – Kobe’s 81-point game
Though the Toronto Raptors haven’t produced any level of sustained success in their franchise history, the organization has lived a relatively angst-free existence. Yes, there was an infamous trip from Vince Carter to his college graduation on the day of an important playoff game, but aside from that, the Raptors have been relatively quiet when it comes to controversy or brutal moments.
There is, however, something that Toronto is known for across the league, and that is the fact that the team allowed Kobe Bryant to go crazy on Jan. 22, 2006.
Bryant scored 81 points against the Raptors on that night, marking the second-highest point total in the history of the league, trailing only Wilt Chamberlain’s famous 100-point output decades earlier. Amusingly, Bryant began the night with a relatively innocuous 26-point showing in the first half, but with 55 points after the break (!), one of the all-time greats raced into the record book with a bang.
The 2006 edition of Kobe Bryant was unlike anything we currently see in the NBA, as he was famously in “eff you” mode throughout the season, to the point where Bryant averaged more than 43 points a game for the entire month of January. Still, it is unacceptable that the Raptors could allow this level of performance without doing something about it, and players like Jalen Rose are still critical of the team’s showing to this day.
Kobe Bryant is a fantastic basketball player, but nobody is this good and Toronto deserves to be held to the fire for this one.
Next: Utah Jazz