The Return of Kobe

Remember the old Kobe Bryant?

By the end of the season, the Los Angeles Lakers star is hoping you do.

"I think I've been forgotten about a little bit as far as what I can do on the basketball court,'' the Los Angeles Lakers star guard said, "People forget."

It wasn't long ago that Bryant was the beneficiary of favorable Michael Jordan comparisons. Some viewed him as the most feared scorer in the NBA. His gravity-taming athleticism made him a regular on SportsCenter highlights. His killer mentality on the court often made him the hero at the buzzer. No. 8 jerseys were all the rage. Black kids, white kids and kids of all colors wanted to be like Kobe.

But in the summer of 2003, Bryant did a Humpty Dumpty off his pedestal.

Bryant was accused of sexually assaulting a young woman in his hotel room in Eagle, Colo., a Rocky Mountain town where he had gone for surgery on his knee. The scandal was worldwide news and instantly tarnished Bryant's reputation. That was just the beginning of his problems.

Facing the possibility of a prison sentence, Bryant also lost numerous endorsement deals. He struggled in the 2004 NBA Finals against Detroit as the Lakers failed to win their fourth NBA title this decade. He was blamed for Coach Phil Jackson's contract not being renewed and Shaquille O'Neal being traded after that season: He went from being one of the NBA's most popular players to one of the most vilified. Fans often showed their feeling with a shower of boos and insults.

''They don't live in his shoes," Lakers teammate Lamar Odom said. "He's been through a lot. There aren't too many reporters in here or people who had their life on the line because of somebody's say so, standing in front of people that want to persecute you. It's crazy.''

The sexual assault charges were dropped on Sept. 2, 2004. But the damage was done. Without Jackson and O'Neal last season, the Lakers didn't make the playoffs. Jackson took several shots at Bryant in a book he wrote about the Lakers. Also, the 6-foot-7, 210-pounder was named to the All-NBA third-team after making it to first-team the previous two seasons.

''The past two seasons, I didn't train all summer,'' Bryant said. ''Last summer, it was a week before camp. So the past two seasons I've played without any off-season training, which is like a religion to me." With the case gone, his mind clear and healthy, Bryant has finally able to try to piece his career back together.

He spent time with his wife, Vanessa, and young daughter. He trained like a "mad man." And the big chip on his shoulder pushed him hard daily.

''It was motivating,'' Bryant said.

One of the biggest knocks on Bryant was he seemed more robotic than human.

Sure, the multimillionaire did things off the court to help people. But unless you were one of lucky being helped or truly in the know, it was a secret. Bryant has also been ultra-private about his life outside the Staples Center.

But on Sept. 11, that all changed when Bryant joined several NBA stars who played in a charity game in Houston benefiting Hurricane Katrina victims. He joined the likes of LeBron James, Kevin Garnett and Dwyane Wade in paying their own way to Houston and for their hotel rooms. And Bryant also joined many of the players who went to shelters prior to the game delivering goods and goodwill. The Lakers have also made a point to reveal that last summer he served as an ambassador at the National KidsDay event in Santa Monica and was a guest speaker to the kids at Camp Lakers in Santa Barbara.

For the first time, NBA fans got to see the Bryant's human side.

''I didn't think anybody thought he was coming,'' said Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony, about the Houston charity contest. "We had everybody; all the top players in the game were there. You never see him at stuff like that, charity games. But for him to show up for that was a good deal.''

The NBA season is still very young. But No. 8 was back to being No. 8 again from the opening tip-off.

Just a 90-minute drive from the site of assault trial, Bryant hit a game-winning shot in overtime in the Lakers season-opener at Denver in front of a national television audience. With Jackson back on the bench and on the same page with his superstar, Bryant quickly jumped to the NBA-lead in scoring. The highlights returned and his Nikes are back on store shelves. The biggest challenge is whether the seven-time NBA all-star can lead the Lakers back to the postseason.

"He's having an MVP season," Anthony said. "I don't know what their record is, but him, individually, I'm kind of proud of him to go through what he's been through and come back and do what he's doing right now. I'm always happy to see people that are down come back up."

Remember the old Kobe Bryant? He certainly does.

''This is the best I've felt in my life,'' Bryant said.

About the Author:

Marc J. Spears covers the NBA for The Denver Post and is a regular contributor to AOL Black Voices.