Kobe Bryant had it all. At the tender age of 24, his fruitful partnership with Los Angeles Lakers teammate Shaquille O'Neal had produced an astounding three NBA championships and countless comparisons to dynasties such as the Boston Celtics of the early 1960s and the Chicago Bulls of the late 90s.

Aside from an occasional spat with the equally domineering presence of O'Neal, Bryant - arguably the most successful athlete to ever leap from high school (in Lower Merion, Pa.) to the pro ranks - was the prototype for Madison Avenue image-makers.

Bryant's clean-cut persona, highlighted by a seemingly blissful marriage to young beauty Vanessa Laine (who was an 18-year-old high school student when the two wed and settled in Newport Beach, Calif.), attracted the admiration of corporate giants like McDonald's, Nike and Coca-Cola's Sprite.

Endorsers were able to portray Bryant in ways they could never market the charisma-bereft Tim Duncan or tattooed malcontent Allen Iverson, who seems to consult his posse before attending practice in Philadelphia.

Bryant arrived in the NBA with little fanfare as the 13th overall pick in the first round of the 1996 NBA Draft by the lowly Charlotte Hornets. Dealt to Tinseltown for Vlade Divac and a future first-round selection, Bryant would compete in his first NBA All-Star Game at 19. That game, Michael Jordan's last All-Star appearance as a Chicago Bull, was viewed by many as an informal passing of the torch to a new generation of basketball superstars that Bryant was at the forefront of.

With grace and humility on and off the court, the soft-spoken Bryant seemed that rare sports icon who was every bit the man off the court that he was on it. Even His Airness had vices, battling allegations of compulsive gambling and infidelity through the latter half of his career. With early success that far surpassed that of Jordan, the undisputed Zeus of international basketball, Bryant appeared destined for unprecedented star status.

In June of '03, Nike courted Bryant's allegiance after Bryant was dropped by sneaker rival adidas, handing the Laker guard a five-year, $45 million endorsement pact. While that sum was relatively slim compared to the $90 million Nike threw at basketball's latest schoolboy wonder, Akron, Ohio product LeBron James, it symbolized Bryant's steady appeal in the me-first, trash-talk culture of pro ball.

Three weeks later, on July 18, Eagle County (Colorado) District Attorney Mark Hurlbert announced that Bryant would face three charges of felony sexual assault stemming from an encounter that took place on June 30 at a luxury mountain retreat near posh Vail.

"Basically, it is alleged that he had sexual penetration or intrusion," Hurlbert said, "And he caused submission of the victim through actual physical force."

Bryant, who was in Colorado rehabbing from knee surgery, faces a maximum punishment of life in prison.

In late July, Bryant shocked the basketball community when he held a teary-eyed press conference in which he admitted to being an adulterer, but vehemently denied that he had forced himself upon a 19-year-old hotel employee at the gated Lodge & Spa at Cordillera in Edwards, Colo.

Flanked by his wife and Denver-based attorney Pamela Mackey, Bryant attempted to deliver a most sincere apology. "I didn't force her to do anything against her will," Bryant said, "I sit here in front of you furious at myself, disgusted at myself for making a mistake of adultery."

"You're a blessing. You're a piece of my heart," Bryant said as he looked desperately towards wife Laine. "You're the air I breathe. And you're the strongest person I know. I'm sorry for having to put you through this and having to put our family through this."

Bryant hasn't shied away from the public glare since his arrest. Free after posting $25,000 bond, he has appeared with wife Vanessa at nationally-televised events ranging from the ESPY Awards to the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards. He also ventured onto Rodeo Drive for a well-publicized shopping spree in which Bryant purchased a $4 million ring for his wife.

While Bryant pulled out of Team USA's Olympic qualifying tournament in San Juan, Puerto Rico to deal with the potentially life-altering rape charges, most legal analysts believe a likely trial date is June '04. Bryant will be in uniform on October 28 when the Lakers begin their quest for a fourth title in five years against the Dallas Mavericks at Staples Center.

Mavs owner Mark Cuban has been reprimanded by NBA Commissioner David Stern for his frank remarks about the Bryant situation and the impact it will have on fan interest in the Lakers. Appearing on "Access Hollywood" in early August, Cuban told Pat O'Brien that the case, while a tragedy for those involved, would be a boon for television ratings.

"From a business perspective, it's great for the NBA," Cuban said. "It's reality television, people love train wreck television, and you hate to admit it, but that is the truth, that's the reality today."

"It will draw viewers," Cuban continued. "I'm not saying this is a good thing. I'm not saying it's a positive reflection of who we are as a country. It sells papers, and the NBA will benefit from that."

One of the most intriguing facets of the early stages of the Bryant case is the manner in which the media and public at large have peeled away the layers of Kobe Bryant's true self, exposing an aloof, introverted athlete at the peak of his game.

In today's NBA world, selling sneakers to urban youths is as important as selling season tickets to die-hard fans. And the new marketing buzzword is "street cred."

Allen Iverson, who grew up on the dangerous streets of Hampton, Va., and literally fought his way through high school (Iverson was briefly jailed in high school for his role in a full-scale riot at a bowling alley between black and white gang members), has street credibility. Magic forward Tracy McGrady does too.

But Bryant, who grew up in Italy, where his father Joe "Jellybean" Bryant played professionally, and spent his high school days in the wealthy suburbs of Philadelphia, has never been able to connect with that most coveted demographic.

Even while his personal life seemed fulfilled, Bryant was estranged from his father for two years. Joe Bryant disapproved of Bryant's relationship with Laine, who is of Latin descent, choosing not to attend their wedding or any of his son's games until the two split.

Perhaps motivated by his father's skepticism, Bryant spent an inordinate amount of time with Laine, isolating himself from a Laker squad dependent on coach Phil Jackson's motto of team chemistry.

Sportswriters are salivating at the prospect of an O.J. Simpson-esque circus, replete with all the racial divisions and high-powered attorneys that made the "Dream Team" synonymous with F. Lee Bailey instead of Olympic basketball in Barcelona.

"He says it was consensual, she says it wasn't," Detroit Free Press columnist Mitch Albom writes. "And by the time this is over all of the following will be tried in America: race, power, sex, money, sports, fame, reputation and -- oh, yes, somewhere along the way, Kobe Bryant, who was the shining star of the NBA, a seemingly impenetrable warrior dedicated to hard work, championships, wife and family."

"This is Bill/Monica, O.J./Nicole and Mike Tyson/Desiree Washington all rolled into one," Albom continues. "In case you didn't follow those cases, let me tell you right now what you can expect to hear in the near future. From those who defend Kobe: 'Hey, he admitted his mistake. It's a private thing between him and his wife. This girl is a gold digger!'"

"From those who defend the girl: 'She was only 19! She was probably overwhelmed! These athletes think they can have anything they want!'"

"From those who argue race: 'Kobe won't get a fair trial! This is a lily-white town in a lily-white ski resort! They're trying to destroy Kobe because he's a successful black superstar!'"

Reaction to Bryant' potential guilt already seems to be dividing Americans along racial lines. An August poll of 1,000 adults by USA Today shows that while 41 percent of those surveyed think the charges against Kobe are "definitely" or "probably" true, more than two-thirds of blacks in that sample think the charge is false.

And while nearly two-thirds of blacks said they were sympathetic to Bryant, just 40 percent of whites reported being "very" or "somewhat" sympathetic to the Laker star.

The measure of an athlete's success nowadays seems to be the number of times they're pictured on the cover of Sports Illusrated. Bryant's made six appearances on SI covers over the course of his career. The July issue read as follows: "Kobe Bryant Accused."

In sports, as in life, things aren't always what they seem.