Back in 2014, Kobe Bryant was in the last phase of his tremendous NBA career. His last few years in the league cannot be described as ‘flawless’. His talent never tarnished, but the back-to-back injuries wore him down. ESPN, one of the most trusted NBA websites, pulls out a ranking list of NBA players every year. Well, the 2014 list had Kobe in the 40th position.

Was it fair to place the legend after 39 players?

The season before, Bryant was averaging 27.2 points per game, and he recorded prolific numbers at the age of 35 years. The scoring machine had immense to offer at that stage as well. Had the injuries not drained him out, we probably could have seen more of Kobe on the court.

Kobe Bryant called ESPN “a bunch of idiots”

Well, that season was particularly a tough one for the Mamba. The main man was out for most part of the season due to an Achilles’ injury. He played approximately only six games and recorded 13.8 ppg in the 2013-14 season. ESPN ranked Kobe Bryant at 40. The same list had LeBron James at the top and players like Stephen Curry, James Harden, and Chris Paul in the top 10.

Alongside Kobe were players like Dwyane Wade and Klay Thompson at 36th and 38th rank, respectively. After a 119-86 loss to the Utah Jazz in a preseason game, Kobe was interviewed. When asked about the fall in ranking, Kobe mocked the website and called them “a bunch of idiots.”

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“I’ve known for a long time that they are a bunch of idiots.” The Lakers star found it hilarious.

He was further questioned if this acted as motivation to do better. Kobe bluntly replied, “Nah, not really.” He seemed indifferent to the ranking. It really didn’t matter to him. Kobe simply found it funny.

Only two years later, Mamba was out. He retired and the Kobe-era ended. It had to at some point. Many saw Michael Jordan in him. His dedication and Mamba mentality was different from others. A few months back, the world lost the legend in an unfortunate helicopter crash. He has been remembered by everybody at every stage. He clearly left a mark in the NBA with a flourishing career.