Purple, Gold, and Points Galore 🟣🟡
Last week, we looked at Greek myths… epic stories about heroes who were part-human, part-god, and always chasing greatness.
This week? We’re staying legendary… just swapping Mount Olympus for Los Angeles.
In the world of basketball, no team has produced more stars than the Lakers. And no scoring feats shine brighter than Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game and Kobe Bryant’s 81.
But first, let’s hit the 3 things you need to know. 🏀👇
1️⃣ Haliburton’s Historic Night 🔥
Tyrese Haliburton didn’t just play well in Game 4… he made history.
With 32 points, 15 assists, 13 rebounds, and 0 turnovers, he became the first player ever to post a 30–15–10 playoff game without a single turnover.
The Pacers beat the Knicks 130–121 and now lead the series 3–1… one win from the NBA Finals.
📊 In NBA history, teams up 3–1 win the series nearly 96% of the time. That’s not a guarantee... but it’s close.
2️⃣ Family Feud, Playoff Edition 👬
They grew up like brothers in Toronto, Canada. They trained together. Played together. Dreamed together.
Now? They’re guarding each other in the Western Conference Finals.
SGA and the Wolves’ Nickeil Alexander-Walker are cousins. They’re also rivals this week in the biggest series of their lives.
Tonight, the Thunder try to finish the job. Up 3–1 in the series, SGA is one win from the Finals. But standing in the way? His cousin… who just had his best playoff game ever and isn’t ready to head home yet.
🎯 Experts say… 71% chance Thunder win Game 5.
🎤 If you had a family member guarding you in the biggest game of your life, would you…
Smile after every bucket? Whisper secrets at the free throw line? Or forget they’re family and just play to win?
3️⃣ Caitlin’s First Timeout 🛑
She’s played 183 games without missing a beat. College or pro, Caitlin Clark always suited up... until now.
Over the weekend, the Indiana Fever announced she has a strained quad. That’s short for quadriceps, the big group of muscles at the front of your thigh that help you run, jump, and shoot.
🧠 Muscle mission! Can you spot the quadriceps below? Bonus points if you can find the Achilles tendon too…
📅 She’s out for at least two weeks and will be re-evaluated in June.
No dazzling deep threes for a little while. Even superstars need to rest, recover, and remember: sometimes strength is knowing when to stop. 💛
👑 Deep Dive: From Greek Myths to Laker Legends
A few days ago, KAT dropped 20 points in a single quarter. (Remember? That’s the nickname for Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns.)
That got us thinking…
20 points × 4 quarters = 80 points.
Wait… 80 in a game?!
KAT didn’t get there, but he has scored over 60 points in a game. That’s something only 37 players ever have done. Serious scoring royalty.
But 60’s not the only magic number.
How High Can One Game Go? 🚀
Only 10 players in NBA history have reached 70 or more. And just two have ever cracked 80. Let’s start at the very top...
🥇 100 points - Wilt Chamberlain (1962)
🥈 81 points - Kobe Bryant (2006)
🥉 78 points - Wilt… again (1961)
The other eight players in the 70+ club?
Elgin Baylor (1960), David Thompson (1978), David Robinson (1994), Devin Booker (2017), Donovan Mitchell (2023), Damian Lillard (2023), Joel Embiid (2024), and Luka Dončić (2024).
Only Wilt did it more than once… and he got there six times!
And Michael Jordan nearly joined the club. He scored 69 points in 1990… just one bucket short!
Wilt and Kobe: Same Jersey, Different Eras 🟣🟡
They wore the same uniform: Lakers purple and gold. But they lived in different basketball worlds. Their styles? Totally different.
Wilt was a tower in the paint. No three-point line in his NBA. Just unstoppable strength and stamina.
Kobe was an artist with the ball. He didn’t just want to score. He wanted to solve the puzzle of every defender and every moment.
Wilt ruled the 1960s with records that still haven’t been broken. Kobe defined what greatness looked like in the 2000s… with more cameras, more pressure, and more chances for the world to watch.
Let’s take a walk in their (very different) shoes.
The Giant Who Changed the Game 🦣
Before he was a basketball giant, Wilton Norman Chamberlain was a super-tall kid from Philadelphia who loved track. He could high-jump 6 feet 6 inches and dash like a sprinter.
But by high school? Everyone could see it. Wilt was a once-in-a-lifetime basketball player.
At college in Kansas, Wilt was so dominant, they had to rewrite the rules… just to keep things fair.
Back then, there was no rule saying your feet had to stay on the ground for free throws. As long as you started behind the line? You were good to go.
So Wilt, being Wilt, practiced dunking his free throws. No shot. Just a leap and a slam. 🤯
Before he ever pulled it off in a real game… they banned it. First in college. Then in the NBA.
He began his NBA journey with the Philadelphia Warriors. Wait, Philadelphia Warriors? Yep… that team moved west and became today's Golden State Warriors.
After a few years in San Francisco, Wilt returned to his hometown, joining the Philadelphia 76ers (who had previously been the Syracuse Nationals). Talk about a confusing time for jersey collectors! 👕😂
Later, he moved to the Los Angeles Lakers, where he finished his playing career.
His stats are still jaw-dropping:
100 points in one game
55 rebounds in another
A full season averaging over 50 points and 25 rebounds per game
2 NBA championships
4 MVP awards
🎥 Wanna hear the full story of Wilt’s 100-point game?
Wilt changed what was possible in basketball. He scored more, rebounded more, and set records that still haven’t been broken.
Then, decades later, another Laker legend arrived on the scene.
The Perfectionist Who Practiced at 4 AM 🐍
Like Steph Curry years later, Kobe Bryant grew up in gyms.
His dad, Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, played in Italy after his NBA career. Young Kobe learned to speak Italian… and hoop like a pro.
As a teenager, Kobe moved back to the US and dominated high school basketball in Philadelphia.
At 18, he went straight to the NBA. The Charlotte Hornets drafted him, but the Lakers traded for him that same night.
Here’s Kobe by the numbers:
Over 33,000 career points (4th most in NBA history)
5 NBA championships
1 MVP award
18 All-Star games
Spent all 20 seasons with Los Angeles
He trained with such intensity, his workouts became legend. He practiced left-handed. He watched hours of film.
And then came the 81. In 2006, the Lakers were losing to the Raptors. Kobe caught fire. He scored from everywhere.
🎥 See for yourself:
But Kobe wasn’t chasing points… he was chasing greatness. He called it the “Mamba Mentality.” That meant showing up every day with full focus, full effort, and full love for the game… even when it was hard.
When he retired, he went out the only way Kobe could… dropping 60 points in his final game.
Then he coached his daughter Gianna’s team. He helped younger players grow.
In 2020, Kobe tragically died in a helicopter crash. The world was stunned.
But Kobe’s story didn’t end there. It lives on in the way we work hard and love the game just like he did.
💡 What We Learned Today
In basketball, the goal isn’t to score the most individual points. It’s to help your team… however they need you.
Sometimes that means passing, rebounding, or locking in on defense.
And sometimes? It means catching fire.
The next 80-point game could come from a star we already know. Or maybe… someone reading this.
Can You Score Like a Legend? 🏀
Love the history!! Thanks!
Wilt chamberlain is very good -Rowan