ESPN is currently pumping through its preseason filler copy of ranking pretty much every NBA player, and in a stunning turn of events, there’s a controversial placement! Sound the alarm, we’ve got a controversy on our hands! Kobe Bryant, one of the very best players in NBA history, is ranked 93rd. Sure, that doesn’t sound all that bad, considering his age and recent injury history.
Kobe was asked about this, of course, and he reacted in his inimitable old-Kobe, IDGAF way.
Kobe Bryant on 93rd ranking: ""Please don't ask me about silly stuff like that."
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) October 9, 2015
It seems obvious that the only reason anyone even brought it up to Kobe was to see how salty he would get. He’s way past chest-puffing like James Harden, which doesn’t mean he’s any less self-confident. He’s just been around enough to realize how little any of that matters, which is exactly why one can imagine Lakers beat writers nudging each other in the ribs, egging each other on like middle-schoolers at an awkward dance. “Are you gonna ask him? Go on, ask him.”
Of course, ESPN’s ranking predictably incensed some of the thinner-skinned Kobe fans out there, who voiced displeasure at the ranking in Kobe’s presence. When asked about it, Kobe said, “I heard a couple of those. I don’t need to defend that. Nobody does.”
Damn right.
(Via Inside SoCal)
