Celebrating the 10-year anniversary of Kobe's 81-point performance

It was Jan. 22, 2006.

Brian Rolston - then of the Minnesota Wild - scored two goals in a 3-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks punched their Super Bowl XL tickets.

And, over in the Association, Houston Rockets' superstar Tracy McGrady dropped 43 points on the Detroit Pistons, while Seattle Supersonics' sniper Ray Allen lit up the Phoenix Suns for 42 points of his own.

However, something far more rare and historic occurred inside the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif.

On this fateful night, Kobe Bryant - already a three-time NBA champion and eight-time All-Star - forever changed the legacy of the "Black Mamba."

Los Angeles Lakers' fans, and the whole sports world for that matter, were treated to an epic individual performance outdone only by the great Wilt Chamberlain. The man donning No. 8 on his back put the ball through the net 46 times en route to an unfathomable 81-point performance.

As the courtside scorekeepers struggled to find room on the score sheet to register Bryant's seemingly non-stop buckets, late Lakers owner Jerry Buss couldn't believe his eyes, claiming what he saw was "like watching a miracle."

Bryant's punching bag for the evening, the Toronto Raptors, were rendered helpless as "Vino" gained such unstoppable momentum that even his teammates were turned into awe-struck bystanders.

"It was one of the few times I felt like a fan instead of his teammate. I had him sign a ticket for me after the game," Bryant's then-teammate and current Golden State Warriors interim head coach Luke Walton said. "It was incredible. You look up at the scoreboard and see it at, like, 72 and then 78 and then all of a sudden it says 80, and it looks like the scoreboard is broken. I really didn't even fully grasp it until I went home and watched it on tape that night."

Lakers bench boss at the time, Phil Jackson - who had a front row seat to the Michael Jordan show for more than a decade - was equally stunned by Bryant's offensive explosion, admitting "I've seen some remarkable games but I've never seen anything like that before."

Related: Kobe spent night before 81-point game eating pizza, drinking grape soda

Bryant himself stated he could've reached 100 points had things gone a little differently.

We may never see such a unique performance again. And so, hoop heads around the globe shall celebrate Bryant - who was honored with his 15th and final starting gig at next month's All-Star Game - for his countless on-court contributions.

We salute you, Kobe Bean Bryant - 81 times.