Feb 10, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) defends Los Angeles Lakers forward Kobe Bryant (24) in the first quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images David Richard-Imagn Images

LeBron James Clears the Air on Predicting Kobe Bryant's 80-Point Game for Lakers

Originally posted on Los Angeles Lakers on SI
By Ryan Stano | Last updated Sep 19, 2025 6:30 PM ET

Lakers forward LeBron James has taken a lot of flak from fans for his perceived lying. There are certain stories that he has told over the years that are pretty hard to believe.

NBA fans on social media have essentially turned that into a meme. James is aware of this perception of him, but he doesn't seem to care. He doesn't let it bother him.

Recently, James was asked to address his claim that he predicted Kobe Bryant's 81-point game. He made sure to let everyone know that he did lie about that, technically.

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Lakers Forward LeBron James Talks About The Time He Predicted Kobe Bryant's 81-Point Game

While speaking with Speedy Morman, James talked about this incident.

LeBron on predicting Kobe’s 81-point game

“I was like, 'Kobe going for 80 tonight', and he went for 81, so I did lie.”

(via @SpeedyMorman, @ComplexMusic, h/t @BleacherReport)pic.twitter.com/cRDGGMTjO2
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) September 18, 2025

"Bro, I'm telling you! I'm telling you! Every time I say something, people think it's a f--king lie. I got homies that was literally at the house with me when Kobe was dropping the 81. When he had 60, I said, "Oh, sh--, he might go for 80 tonight."...He went for 81, so I did lie."

James is not backing down from his claim that he said this when it happened. Of course, it's a lot easier to predict someone is going to score 80 points when they already have 60 through three quarters.

Bryant scored the second-most points in an NBA game that night against Toronto. Only Wilt Chamberlain's 100 is more. That is a record that will likely never be broken, either.

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Lakers Forward LeBron James Still Won't Back down From His Claims

James is aware that everyone thinks he's lying all the time, but he won't back down from this claim. He is still telling everyone that it really happened when he was back in Ohio.

The Lakers are hoping that James might be able to miraculously put up something close to that legendary performance this season. That would put them in a great spot to contend.

Right now, James is focused on winning one more title before he retires. He wants to win five titles so that he can match Bryant's career record.

Last season, James averaged 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game. He shot 51.3 percent from the field and 37.6 percent from beyond the 3-point arc.