Kobe Bryant News: Ranked 40th by ESPN #NBARank

Are you ready for rage, Lakers and Kobe Bryant faithful?

There are 39 players in the NBA better than Kobe Bryant.

Those aren’t my words, but the words of ESPN and their staff who rank the best players in the league prior to each season. If fans thought Bryant was disrespected last season, they should be downright offended this year.

To be fair, Bryant has played six games over the last year and a half and is coming off two significant injuries. Also, these rankings were finalized long before Bryant’s impressive return to the court during training camp and the preseason.

But still, finding 39 players right now that are better than Bryant is impossible. Judging by how Bryant reacted to last year’s ESPN NBARank – changing his avatar to reflect the rankings of both the ranking of him personally and the Lakers as a team – he very well may go postal on Twitter in reaction to this.

A sign of the Lakers struggles, Bryant is also the only Laker within the top 100 of the rankings and by far the highest ranked player.

Let us know Lakers fans, is Bryant really the 40th best player in the league? Can you name 39 players better than Bryant? Leave a comment down below with your thoughts!