Sports perspective: Kobe best in NBA

BRAD DIAMOND STAFF WRITER BRD722@CABRINI.EDU

The secret is out. Kobe Bryant is the best player in the NBA.

Although the Los Angeles Lakers' star guard is considered a selfish player by many, there is no denying the fact that he has the entire Lakers organization on his back at the moment. He has quickly squashed early season comparisons to LeBron James, while making himself the leading MVP candidate.

Bryant, who is averaging 35.8 points per game this season, has almost single handedly re-established the team as playoff contenders. His 81 point performance against the Raptors on Jan. 22 has been the talk around the NBA and water coolers across the country ever since. Bryant, who shot 28-46 from the floor, including 55 points in the second half, got me thinking about some of the best single game performances in basketball history.

We have all heard stories about Wilt Chamberlain's 100 point game back in 1962. If you are from this area, you may have also heard of Dajuan Wagner's 100 point game for Camden High School in 2001. However, there have been other single game performances that are very worthy of discussion.

A current player at The University of Connecticut, Denham Brown, scored a Canadian high school record 111 points for West Hill Collegiate Institute back in 2002. Former New Jersey

Net Drazen Petrovic dropped 112 points in a Yugoslavian League Game back in 1985, shooting 40 of 60 from the floor that night.

Frank Selvy of Furman is the only person to score 100 points in an NCAA Division I game. He scored exactly 100 against Newberry College in 1954, shooting