Editor's note: This story was originally published on Jan. 22, 2021. Thursday is the 20th anniversary of Kobe Bryant's 81-point game. DURING A STORIED 14-year NBA career, Tony Allen was named to six All-Defensive teams and earned the nickname "The Grindfather" for his abilities as one of the league's most hard-nosed perimeter defenders. But on Feb. 22, 2005, he was a 24-year-old rookie guard staring at one unenviable task: Shut down Kobe Bryant. "I was definitely hyped," Allen told ESPN.