18 years ago today, on January 22, 2006, Kobe Bryant went 28 of 46 from the field, 7 of 13 from three and 18 of 20 from the line for 81 points against the Toronto Raptors.
While most remember Bryant’s insane 81-point game, some can’t forget. One of them is Jalen Rose, who was among the unlucky men that night, that had the pleasure of guarding Kobe Bryant.
In 2017, Rose, who now is an NBA analyst, starred in a commercial for ESPN, together with the man he wasn’t able to guard that night, and it is still one of the best commercials I’ve ever seen.
The commercial begins with Jalen Rose looking at his phone as he walks into a restaurant. Kobe Bryant is already sitting in the restaurant, sees Rose and yells ‘Jalen’.
Rose turns around with a big fake smile on his face and they start talking. Then, a waiter interrupts them, asking Bryant what he would like to drink. Kobe orders a vodka martini. The waiter then asks Kobe how many olives he wanted. Kobe replies (you already know) ’81’….
