Chris Paul Claims He Would Have Prevented Kobe Bryant’s 81-Point Night

Chris Paul did not hold back when he claimed Kobe Bryant would not score 81 points on him.

Chris Paul Claims He Would Have Prevented Kobe Bryant’s 81-Point Night

Chris Paul and Kobe Bryant (Image credits - Firstsportz)

In Short
  • Chris Paul claims he would have prevented Kobe Bryant's 81-point game if he had been on the opposing team.
  • Paul emphasizes that he would have double-teamed Bryant and not allowed him to score freely.
  • The discussion highlights the missed opportunity for Paul to team up with Bryant in 2011 due to a nullified trade.

The late Kobe Bryant is one of the greatest players to have ever played the game of basketball. While the debate is usually focused on Michael Jordan and LeBron James, the opinion is split over whether Bryant deserves to be in the GOAT conversation as well. But there is no doubt that Bryant is one of the greatest scorers in NBA history.

The five-time champion may have just two scoring titles to his name, but he ranks fourth in the NBA All-Time points leaders. Very few players in NBA history can boast a résumé like Kobe Bryant‘s. He spent his entire 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, delivering five championships with the esteemed franchise.

Bryant has had numerous historic games throughout his NBA career. And one game that springs to mind is his 81-point game against the Toronto Raptors in 2006. The game marked the second-most scored in a single NBA game behind Wilt Chamberlain‘s 100-point game.

A few days ago, Chris Paul announced his retirement after 21 seasons in the NBA. It was an unceremonious end to a stellar career. An anticlimactic ending for a player who had some of the best years of his career with the Los Angeles Clippers and had announced that the 2025-26 campaign would be his final season in the NBA. While there were reports of a return but nothing materialized in the end.

The legendary point guard made an appearance on The Tylil Show and said Bryant would not have scored 81 if he were on the other team.

That game Kobe had 81, couldn’t be me. I’m ejected, ive done fouled out, something. What we talking about coach? I’m not guarding the other guys. We’re going to double team him. Trap him. Let somebody else score.

While Paul would not be guarding Bryant 1v1 due to the size disadvantage, he is still a very strong defender. He has earned nine NBA All-Defensive selections during his career. He frustrated opponents with his active hands and was ranked among the best perimeter defenders in the NBA.

Chris Paul could have teamed with Kobe Bryant in 2011

Back in 2011, the Hornets agreed to a three-team trade sending Paul to the Lakers and joining forces with Bryant. Bryant was coming off back-to-back championships while Paul was already one of the best point-guards in the league.

Unfortunately, the then-NBA commissioner, David Stern, nullified the deal and claimed that the New Orleans Pelicans would be better off keeping Paul. But in the end, Paul was traded to the Lakers’ crosstown rivals, the Clippers.

The 40-year-old opened up about one of the wildest moments in NBA history in an interview with ESPN’s Marc J. Spears.

Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul
Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul (Image credits – Los Angeles Times)

The thing I look back on and I’ll be like, dang, that’s crazy. I can’t believe that happened? It’ll probably be that trade with me and Kobe. I vividly remember the conversation we had that night. I’ll talk about it one day. But that was just a wild situation.

It would have been a sight to behold watching Paul feed Bryant for game-winning jumpers. But in the end, it’s more than just a lost opportunity for Paul as he ended his career without lifting a championship.

Stephen A. Smith ranks Kobe Bryant’s 81-point game alongside Michael Jordan’s “double nickel” game

January 22, 2006, will forever be etched into the history books as Bryant delivered the second-best single-game scoring performance in NBA history. Last month, it had been 20 years since the iconic game

ESPN sports analyst Stephen A. Smith believes it deserves to be mentioned alongside some of the best playoff efforts ever, even though it was a regular-season game.

It’s an all-timer for me, no doubt about it. I mean, I look at Jordan and the double-nickel at the Garden. I look at stuff like that. I look at Allen Iverson dropping 48 in Game 1 of an NBA finals against Kobe and Shaq. I mean, there’s some great, great performances I’ve seen in my lifetime. That 81-point performance clearly was up there because Kobe was just sensational.

It was an all-time performance indeed. It only trailed Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point outing back in 1962, and nobody has come close since then. They are the only two players in history to break the 80-point mark.

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