Kobe Bryant called ESPN a "bunch of idiots" for ranking him as the 40th best player in the NBA on its annual player rankings before last season.
Well, imagine what the Black Mamba is going to think of the Worldwide Leader in Sports now? ESPN has dropped the five-time NBA champion to 93rd on its annual Top 400 player rankings, entering the 2015-16 season.
The Insider Profile attached to Bryant's name justifies the ranking, explaining: "at this stage, he has turned into a parody of himself, with seemingly every field goal attempt coming 'against all odds' as Bryant dominates the ball during possessions and often shoots long jumpers against double coverage."
Yes, at 37 years old, the future Hall of Famer's best days are behind him. But for what it's worth, Bryant managed to lead the league in scoring for an early stretch last year, before suffering a season-ending torn rotator cuff in January, just 35 games into the season. His final stats for the 2014-15 season stood at 22.3 points, 5.6 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game. Not too shabby.
This begs the question: are there really 92 players better than Bryant in the NBA?
With the unveiling of this ranking Wednesday, a healthy portion of basketball fans on social media ripped Bryant's placement apart. The criticism is only likely to continue, too, considering ESPN is working backward and will reveal all the players it thinks are better than Bryant shortly.
This follows NBA 2K16 giving Bryant his lowest player rating ever – an 85 – just last month.
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