On January 5, 2001, the Kings held the best record in the Western Conference (21-8) and were coming off an incredible overtime win against Phoenix in which they watched former Sacramento swingman and current Suns guard Tony Delk score a career-high 53 points.
In that game against the Suns, Chris Webber was a near non-factor, scoring two points on 1-of-4 shooting in just seven minutes of action before being ejected for back-to-back technical fouls in the first quarter. It was a rare off game for the star power forward who was averaging 26.3 points and 11.5 rebounds per game to that point.
Kings TV Color Analyst Jerry Reynolds forecasted Webber's possible big game right before tip-off, saying "He's going to get all of the minutes he can tonight, certainly he wants to play extremely well against his good friend Jalen Rose."
And he certainly did, scoring a career-high 51 points, including a three-point-play with less than 30 seconds remaining to send the game to overtime. Webber's previous career-highs were 40 points and 22 rebounds.
Although the home team were unable to pull out the victory in the extra frame, Kings fans will surely remember that momentous night from one of their favorite legends.
Highlights from C-Webb's Career Night
Photos from Webber's 51-Point Game