Kobe Bryant Destroys ESPN Over Low Player Ranking

ESPN released its annual ranking of NBA players and Kobe Bryant dropped this season from no. 25 to no. 40.

Needless to say Bryant doesn't think too highly of the ranking. However, that doesn't mean he is going to use the slight as a motivation.

When asked about the ranking following a preseason game and whether he would use it as motivation, Bryant laughed and said it would not, calling ESPN "a bunch of idiots."

Kobe went on to clarify that he only uses things for motivation that come from "the realm of reality."

Bryant has voiced his displeasure with ESPN's rankings in the past. Last year, when ESPN ranked the Lakers 12th in the 15-team Western Conference, Kobe sent out a simple and brief tweet spoke volumes.

Kobe may say that ESPN's belief that there are 39 players in the NBA better than him is not a motivator, but you can be sure that he is filing it away in the back of his mind and it won't be forgotten.

Here is the video of Bryant's comments.