El Segundo, Calif. ? Kobe Bryant says he can handle just about any kind of criticism. Calling him a dirty player crosses the line.

Bryant reacted angrily to such a concept Wednesday, and expressed gratitude for the support given him by Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson.

“It’s insulting,” Bryant said before the slumping Lakers flew to Denver for toight’s game against the Nuggets. “I don’t need to be a dirty player. That’s just ridiculous. I’m not a dirty player – never have been, never will be.”

The 28-year-old Bryant, one of the NBA’s best players for years, said he believed he had played “the right way” throughout his career, which began with the Lakers in 1996 when he went straight from high school to the professional ranks.

Regarding criticism, Bryant said it was fine for people to say, for example, that he shoots too much.

“I don’t want the image of being a dirty player,” he added.

Bryant spoke to the media for the first time since Jackson accused the NBA of conducting what he called a “witch hunt” against his star player a day earlier.

“He’s being supportive, coming to my defense,” Bryant said. “It feels good to have somebody in your corner.”

Jackson isn’t the only one. Teammates Lamar Odom and Luke Walton, who will both return to action tonight after being sidelined by injuries, were emphatic in defending Bryant.

“He plays extremely hard. I don’t think he plays dirty at all,” Odom said. “He plays every game to win it. The game’s physical. He gets beat up and beat down.”

Regarding Jackson’s comments, Odom smiled and said: “That’s P.J. I’ve got to be a little more political with what I say. I don’t have a championship. He’s got a right to say whatever he wants to say. After a few championships, maybe I can talk crazy a little bit.”