Reaction from around the league
Celtics Great Larry Bird:
"That's wild. That is really wild. That's a lot of points, I'm telling you. There's no question how good he is, but when you start throwing numbers around like that, it's unbelievable. It would be hard to believe if you didn't know it was true."
Miami Heat Coach Pat Riley:
"Anybody who's got the kind of energy to try to hoist up (nearly) 70 shots is going to score a lot of point. It's remarkable, the execution and the efficiency, but we've got a lot of guys in this league, if they took 70 shots, they'd score a lot of points."
Miami Heat G, Dwyane Wade:
"Everybody was calling. Everybody called every player in the league."
Miami Heat F, Antoine Walker:
"I think with the 81 now, no other team or other players will let that happen. Now guys will foul out trying to stop him from doing that. If someone gets 81 on me, I'm going to clothesline him." On Shaq: "He told us to get him 50 shots."
Tex Winter, Ex-Assistant:
"It was quite an exhibition. It's what the fans love. I don't think you can win a championship playing that way and so, consequently, I would be concerned about that. But it was a great victory and I don't want to take anything away from Kobe because it was one of the greatest I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot of exhibitions."
Lakers Great, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar:
"Kobe's range is unreal, and he does it his way. It was a real treat. His ability to shoot from long range and also attack the hoop, split the defense and get in close for opportunities near the basket is unique. He's made a niche for himself, and he deserves it."
New Jersey Nets PG, Jason Kidd:
"How many minutes did he play, 42? If he had an overtime game, maybe (100 would be possible)"
New Jersey Nets F, Vince Carter:
"It is great for the league, for him, just because of the buzz it has created. The only bad thing about it is younger kids, whose minds are easily warped, are going to think, 'Ohhh! I am going to go out there and do it' instead of the team concept first. That is what is missing, guys understanding how to play as a team. They [the NBA] want scoring, they want ratings, you are going to get that. You are definitely going to get them now with the amount of 50-60-point games . . . I just hope kids and young guys understand that yeah, special guys can do that. But . . ."
Detroit PG, Chauncey Billups:
"If you have it going, you're supposed to keep it going. ... Unbelievable."
Indiana Pacers Coach, Rick Carlisle:
"I don't feel so bad about the 45 he got on us now."
Golden State Warriors Coach, Mike Montgomery:
"I wish we had King Kong (to guard him). Anything we can do, we'll do."
Bulls Great Scottie Pippen:
"It's superb, definitely. Something that is new to me, that is shocking. I got the news last night about 3 in the morning, and I don't think I even went back to bed."
Ex-Bull and now-Analyst Steve Kerr:
"I'm always one to credit the guys who win. I don't know if I would have given Kobe the M.V.P. last week. But what he did in the game last night, he's so clearly the best player out there."
Hubie Brown, Analyst:
"For Kobe Bryant to do this as a guard, it is a testimony to his athletic ability, incredible endurance."
Detroit Pistons President of Basketball Operations, Joe Dumars:
"I think it is an awesome feat what Kobe did the other night, and I tip my hat to him. The one word that comes to mind when I think about what he accomplished is SPECIAL."
Utah Jazz Coach, Jerry Sloan:
"Kobe brought his team back from a big deficit to win the game, so you like to see that. That means quite a bit more than getting points with no competition."
Cavs Guard, Eric Snow:
"Hats off, he's the best. It's hard to get 50 in a game. He did it in a half. It takes a tough player who works really hard. I think he's one of the best ever."
Celtics Ricky Davis:
"That was a great game. It surprises you, but the guy was hitting shot after shot."
Celtics Forward, Paul Pierce:
"It's impressive,. He's probably playing the best basketball of anyone in the NBA right now. When you’re taking jump shots, you’re going to get more tired. Wilt got all layups. With the athletes that are in the game today, no, it wouldn’t happen. You would have to put more minutes on the clock. Well, maybe Kobe could do it. If he shot every time down the floor.” "
Celtics Coach, Doc Rivers:
“What was lost in all of that was that he got it going when they were down by 18 points. The other amazing part was that he didn’t get tired at the end.”
George Gervin:
"To compare it to anybody would be useless. He set himself apart from everyone else. Everyone looks for another Michael Jordan, and there probably won't be one. What Kobe did was establish himself as one of the greatest scorers of all time at an early age. He's a phenom. I'm a believer, man. Now we've got to sit back and wait and see if anyone scores 82."
76ers Guard, Andre Iguodala:
"How does the other team let him get that many points? Once a guy gets 50 points, you double him every time down the court. They weren't doing a good job of trying to keep the ball out of his hands so I was actually rooting for him.
Miami Heat Center Shaquille O'Neal:
Declined to comment..