"He goes 'some records need to stand'" - John Salley claims 13x champion Phil Jackson stopped Kobe Bryant from breaking all-time scoring record

LA Lakers legend Kobe Bryant nearly made history on Jan. 22, 2006, when he dropped 81 points during the Lakers’ 122-104 win over Toronto.

Bryant’s iconic performance remains the second-highest scoring total in NBA history. His 81-point game trails only NBA legend Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point effort in 1962. Chamberlain’s record has long been considered unbreakable by many.

However, according to four-time NBA champion John Salley, Bryant could have broken Chamberlain’s record if not for his coach Phil Jackson stopping him. During an appearance on the “Club Shay Shay” podcast, Salley recalled the 13-time champion’s explanation of why he didn’t let Bryant break Chamberlain’s record:

“I didn't agree with something Phil Jackson said to me, and then I got into my 50s, and I got it,” Salley said.

“I said, ‘Phil, Kobe had 81. No matter what you do, he was about to get to 104. They would have kept feeding the ball. The other side would’ve been like, 'Don’t hurt him.' There would’ve been clear-outs. Kobe would’ve got 104.' “And he goes ‘Well, some records need to stand.’ And I was like, ‘Wow.’ He goes, ‘Well, he's No. 2; he doesn’t need to be No. 1.’”

The conversation starts at the 1:05 mark below:

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Could Kobe Bryant have broken Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point record?

LA Lakers legend Kobe Bryant

As for the credibility of John Salley’s story, a simple fact check shows that it's likely inaccurate.

Bryant played 42 of a possible 48 minutes during his 81-point game. He also did not check out of the game until there was less than a minute remaining.

Moreover, 55 of his 81 points came in the second half as the Lakers outscored the Raptors by 32 points (73-41) to come back and win. So Bryant probably would have had a better shot at reaching 100 points if he had scored more in the first half instead.

Club Shay Shay host Shannon Sharpe pointed this out during his interview with Salley, and questioned the former 11-year veteran about his story:

“I think they took him out with like a minute to go. You think he could have got 19 points in a minute?” Sharpe asked.

“No, they took him out with a whole seven minutes to go,” Salley said.

“No, you talking about the Toronto game? Because they were behind by so much, he had to shoot to get them back in the ball game,” Sharpe replied.

Nonetheless, Kobe Bryant’s 81-point game is still one of the most iconic performances in NBA history. Moreover, despite the inflated offensive stats in the modern-day NBA, no player has been able to match or surpass Bryant’s tally.

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