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KOBE BRYANT ON TRIAL

When the news first hit that NBA golden boy Kobe Bryant was accused of sexual
assault, many thought that the allegations would fade away faster than one of his buzzer-beating jump shots. But after charges were officially pressed and Eagle County prosecutors turned their attention to Kobe, so did we. Even Iraq took a back seat on the evening news as media hounds shoved every conceivable detail about Kobe down the throats of Middle America. And being the voyeuristic, rubbernecking nation of coach potatoes that we are, we loved it. Besides, what else were we supposed to do? Read a book?

But as summer gave way to autumn, the continuing controversy turned Kobe into Mr. October. Talk shows kept the fire fueled, rumors kept circulating, and accusations were abundant. The public was bombarded with enough drama to fill a whole season’s worth of soap operas. So when an Eagle County, Colorado judge ruled that the embattled basketball player would have to stand trial for the purported sexual assault of a 19-year-old female hotel employee, the public knew that the real media circus was just getting started.

Likewise, the judge’s decision has done nothing to deter the wave of conjecture about what really transpired on that fateful evening in late June. Although the trial is not likely to take place before March, water coolers, chat rooms and barbershops are sure to keep the Kobe controversy alive and kicking.

With that in mind, SMOOTH offers this complete guide to the Kobe trial. Don’t get caught not knowing the room number where the alleged offense occurred. Don’t slip when asked which NBA team Kobe’s pops played for, or which hotel Kobe laid low in after turning over DNA samples to the police. Use this guide as a handy reference tool when sifting through the loads of info that are overloading your neighborhood newsstand.

Kobe’s problems started weeks before his trip to Colorado. He had already been scratched off of Team USA’s Olympic-qualifying tournament in August due to a mid-June shoulder surgery. And after being troubled for much of last season with a bum right knee, he was slated for arthroscopic surgery on July 1 at Colorado’s Vail Valley Regional Medical Center.
But things certainly weren’t all bad. January had seen the birth of Kobe and his wife Vanessa’s first child, Natalia Diamante. In early June, Bryant inked a $45 million-dollar contract with Nike. In addition, sports talk radio was buzzing with rumors of two future Hall of Famers, Gary Payton and Karl Malone, joining Kobe and Shaq on an already strong Lakers squad.