Wilt Chamberlain set the record for most points in a single NBA game before Kobe Bryant. Chamberlain scored 100 points for the Philadelphia Warriors in a game against the New York Knicks on March 2, 1962. Kobe Bryant scored 81 points in a game for the Los Angeles Lakers against the Toronto Raptors on January 22, 2006. Therefore, Wilt Chamberlain's record predates Kobe Bryant's performance.