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'Embarrassed' Kobe Says He Isn't Chasing Wilt's 100
"I'm a little bit embarrassed, actually," Bryant told reporters Monday after the Los Angeles Lakers practiced for Tuesday's game against the New York Knicks. "I think it's exciting for the game and the organization because of all the buzz, but personally it's a little embarrassing." Bryant, who leads the NBA in scoring with a 35.9 average, said the bottom line for the Lakers (23-20) is winning. "The concept is not about going out there and putting on a show or going out there and scoring points. It's to win games," he said. "Whatever it takes. You have to gauge the flow of the game and then decide when to pick your spot to take over. "I'd much rather go out and score 25 points and get 10 assists and see everybody in a rhythm, everybody in a groove." Bryant's 81 points Jan. 22 against the Toronto Raptors marked the second-highest individual scoring performance in NBA history behind only Chamberlain's 100-point night in 1962 for the Philadelphia Warriors against the Knicks. Bryant said he was not pursuing the points record. "I don't even think about it," he said of Chamberlain's record. "That's unthinkable. It was done once -- by Wilt, and I'm not Wilt." Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets '81' Becoming Kobe's Nickname
"Just calling me 81," he said of his teammates. Perhaps that should be Mr. 81. Bryant said the reality of reaching that point total Sunday night in the Los Angeles Lakers' 122-104 victory over the Raptors still hadn't sunk in, and made it clear he didn't expect a repeat performance any time soon. "It's just one of those things that doesn't seem real to me," he said. "It's just tough for it to sink in. I'm focused on the task that lies ahead for us. "The way I'm playing of late, I don't think it's an indication of how we're going to be playing the rest of the season. We had a stretch earlier this season where I didn't have to score the ball like that for us to win. I look forward to going back to that." Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets McKie A Few Weeks From Return
"We're looking at perhaps realistically some time in February," Jackson said. Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Lakers Jan 2006 Archive
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Kobe Bryant feels a bit sheepish about his 81-point performance and says he is not caught up in a chase of Wilt Chamberlain's record of 100.
Laker guard Aaron McKie is still a couple of weeks from returning from a quadriceps tendon injury, Jackson said. McKie recently ran with other players during practice without being cleared by trainers, who promptly removed him from the court.