Kobe Bryant’s record for most points scored at Madison Square Garden in New York was surpassed on Friday by the Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony. Bryant scored 61 points against the Knicks in 2009 to set a record for the famed arena that broke Bernard King’s record of 60 points. He still owns the record for most points scored by an opponent.
According to Lakers reporter Mike Trudell, Bryant took some time to congratulate Anthony:
Bryant called buddy Carmelo (62 points vs CHA) on Friday night to congratulate him on break Bryant’s previous MSG record of 61 points.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) January 26, 2014
Anthony is in the last year of his contract with the Knicks and speculation says that he may be interested in heading to Los Angeles to join Bryant and the Lakers. His 62 points against the Charlotte Bobcats show his capabilities as a scorer and drew the praise from Bryant. Anthony was recently named an All-Star starter like Bryant and the two may face off in the game, depending on Bryant’s recovery. Both players have spent time together on Team USA in the Olympics and have won a pair of gold medals together.
Bryant will not get the chance to break Anthony’s new record because of injuries, but will be in attendance for the matchup between the two struggling teams. In his record-breaking game, Bryant broke the MSG record set by King and the opponent’s record of 55 points by Michael Jordan. His scoring breakout came on 19-0f-31 shooting, including a perfect 20-of-20 from the free throw line. Anthony’s came on 23-of-35 shooting from the field and a perfect 10-of-10 from the charity stripe. Eighteen of his 62 points came from behind the three-point line in his 39 minutes of work.
The Lakers could see more of that scoring if Anthony does indeed come to Los Angeles and joins forces with Bryant this upcoming summer.
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