A Real Vote of Confidence

Once so wracked with doubt and fear that his wife, Vanessa, had to persuade him to play the NBA season, Kobe Bryant has drawn more All-Star votes than any other Western Conference player, the league announced Thursday.

At the Lakers’ practice gym in El Segundo, Bryant stepped from the trainer’s room, bags of ice lashed to his knees, 30 minutes after practice ended.

John Black, the team’s director of public relations, previously had told Bryant of the balloting, and still Bryant appeared nearly overcome by the news later in the afternoon.

“Ah, man,” Bryant said and turned his face upward, as if he were trying to catch the mist.

“Phew,” he said. “I really don’t know how to quite explain it. So, thank you. Just, thank you, man. I really appreciate it. It shows that I have a lot of support out there and I really appreciate it.

“It says a lot [about] people and how they feel about me, and how they feel about my talent out there on the floor, about supporting me as a person. I just really appreciate it. I don’t know quite how to describe it. It’s very unexpected. Man, it just goes a long way with me.”

Bryant hasn’t had much good news recently and so it seemed especially welcome in a press release. The voting will run through Jan. 18, the starters will be named on Jan. 29 and the game will be played Feb. 15 at Staples Center. Shaquille O’Neal leads conference centers, Gary Payton is third among guards and Karl Malone fourth among forwards.

Waiting for a trial date after having been charged with felony sexual assault in Colorado and with two District Court hearings scheduled in the next five weeks, Bryant has played the season under apparent strain.

Reaction from crowds in Detroit to San Antonio to New York have been milder than the Lakers had perhaps feared, but Bryant’s legal situation has been the foremost subject of handmade signs, pregame interviews and local headlines.

Partly because of knee surgery he underwent nearly six months ago and partly because Malone and Payton are now Lakers, Bryant is averaging fewer points, rebounds and assists than he did last season and shooting at a lower percentage.

He also is less capable of the dynamic and acrobatic plays of his first seven seasons in the league, having lost bulk in his upper body and spring in his legs.

Although he appears to be gaining on both, Bryant more often has disappeared into an offense that has revolved around O’Neal, and into the education of Payton and Malone. His shots are down, as is his visibility, both on and off the floor. Once a high-profile endorser for shoes, fast food, soft drinks and other items, Bryant has been seen on television only playing for the Lakers and arriving at an Eagle County courthouse.

And so Bryant appeared to take each vote -- 577,505 have been cast for him so far -- as affirmation of his game and his life, along with an understanding of what might come next.

“I expected the worst,” he said. “But when I go out, everybody’s very supportive. Everybody on the street is very supportive. I don’t know if that speaks for the masses. But, you know, seems like everybody’s supporting me. Feels good.

“They have a lot of love for what I do out there on the basketball court, they appreciate my game, and they’re standing behind me and my family.

“I think that says a lot, the fact they’re standing behind me right now, they’re showing their support in the voting. It says a lot about how they feel about me as a person.”

For years, people in and around the league have characterized the All-Star vote as a popularity contest, specifically to explain how players with great reputations or flashy games sometimes unseat more deserving players. By that definition, then, Bryant has lost little of his standing among NBA fans. He led the league in votes last season, and at the time of the first release of votes in the two previous seasons, he was second only to O’Neal in the conference.

“I think it means a lot to him,” said Malone, who has made an effort to develop a relationship with Bryant. “It shows the fans definitely support him. But it means a lot to him [personally] as well. Maybe, at times, he thought people had mixed emotions. People are showing him that they still care a great deal about him.

“I don’t think it’s a surprise. Unfortunately, in our society, people forget about the thousands of good things that you do and think about the one negative. That’s what people dwell on. It goes to show you that people are forgiving. They accept you for who you are. I’ve gotten to know Kobe really well as a person. The basketball part, I know that. Personally, is what I wanted to get to know. I’ve been able to do that, and it’s been a lot of fun for me.”