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Trae Young Blasts Ex-NBA Player for Claiming He Can Score 81 Points Like Kobe Bryant

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Paolo Mariano | Last updated Apr 26, 2025 12:00 PM ET

Somewhere up there, the late great Kobe Bryant is probably steaming after the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves, 116-104, in Game 3 of their first-round series in the playoffs on Friday.

Bryant was one of the fiercest competitors the NBA has ever seen. He never took a defeat lightly, especially when the stakes were high. He carried the Lakers almost singlehandedly many times with his offensive genius.

Of course, the most memorable display of that was his career-high 81 points against the Toronto Raptors in 2006. He shot 28-of-26 from the field and went 18-of-20 from the free throw line.

Clearly, it's a milestone that's extremely tough to duplicate. However, a former NBA guard boldly stated—with full confidence—that he could do it: Rashad McCants.

"Bro, I know this game to a tee, and I studied with the great (Kobe)," claimed McCants on the "Out The Mud Podcast" on Thursday. "He told me how to be great without having to say a word.

"Get these numbers every quarter. No threes, no free throws. You're guaranteed these (amount of) points. Now you put that in (your head) and you say, 'I can get 81.'"

The 40-year-old McCants wearing a Lakers jersey and a crown during the interview only made everything more surreal.

Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young couldn't help but comment on the post with a familiar three-letter word.

Wtf
— Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) April 24, 2025

McCants' career-high in his staggering four-year NBA career was 34 points. He had a career average of 10.0 points per game in his stints with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Sacramento Kings.

He was also roasted by fans, calling him labels that are not safe to publish.

The video has garnered 2.4 million views, as of writing. Hey, maybe McCants could get it to 81 million.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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