So Many Questions

The quote jumped out amid the usual assortment of advertisements for upcoming events and pitches for premier seats on the giant Staples Center message board near the 110 Freeway.

The words fit right in after the emotional swings of two dramatically different news conferences on Thursday and Friday.

“In the face of uncertainty,” the board’s quote of the day read, “there is nothing wrong with hope.”

Hope -- more like promise, really -- was easy to find on Thursday.

The only doubts to creep into the joyous introduction to new Lakers Gary Payton and Karl Malone on Staples’ sunlit suite level was whether they will be able to coexist on the court with Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant -- a “problem” 28 other teams would like to have.

But there was uncertainty in every aspect of Friday’s surreal statement of innocence by Bryant downstairs in a crowded media room, about four hours after he was charged with one count of sexual assault in Colorado.

What happened in that hotel room the night of June 30?

Whose side should we believe?

Was this really Kobe Bryant, the acrobatic dunker and playful good guy, addressing these serious allegations?

With his attorney Pamela Mackey vowing to fight the charge and stating that the legal process could take four to six months, will a trial loom over the season?

What about the reason Bryant went to Colorado -- knee surgery? Will he be too preoccupied to dedicate himself to rehabilitating the knee and his surgically repaired shoulder? Will he be the same high-flying player when he returns?

Far too much uncertainty. It’s almost crowding out the hope.

I hope a 19-year-old woman wasn’t forced to have sex against her will.

I hope a marriage can be held together so that Kobe and Vanessa Bryant’s infant daughter won’t have to spend her childhood shuttling back and forth between parents.

And I hope that some of Bryant’s words can provide a lesson for him and all of us.

He spoke them during a magazine interview I conducted with him during the 1997-98 season. He was 19, but he seemed to have a great understanding of the hype machine and its ability to create and destroy heroes. He spoke of the expectations, obligations and imperfections of NBA players.

“Sometimes some of the little things we might do get blown out of proportion,” Bryant said. “But there are some negative things that we do do, and I’m not excusing that or trying to hide it in any kind of way. But I think it’s important to understand that people are going to make mistakes. Because we are young, we haven’t experienced life’s lessons yet. So it’s important to understand that, that we address it to the kids: We made a mistake, we learned from it, let’s move on.

“It’s not like we’re perfect, we never make mistakes. It’s not like that, because life’s not like that.”

Allen Iverson had recently been charged with marijuana possession after police found a marijuana cigarette under his seat when the car in which he was riding was pulled over. I asked Bryant whether it hurt to see Iverson get into trouble, and he said: “A little bit. Because there are kids out there who look up to him. And I do believe we have some responsibility to them. But I think Allen understands. I think going through that has only helped him become a stronger person. I think it made him kind of step back and see all the people that were giving him such high praise trying to knock him down. I think it kind of made him that much more motivated to be successful.”

One aspect that made Friday seem so strange was a short clip of Iverson being asked about Bryant’s troubles. It had come full circle. One of the NBA’s reputed troubled children addressing the sullied image of one of its previous model citizens.

It was just as strange as the notion that it could be Bryant’s legal issues, not Malone’s age or O’Neal’s weight, that could determine the outcome of the upcoming Laker season.

If there was one thing I always felt confident in saying about Bryant, it was that we wouldn’t see his name pop up in the police blotter. I also put him among the least likely of the NBA players to commit adultery. He once became angry with me when I joked that his fidelity would be severely tested if he ever went to Brazil.

“I would never cheat on my wife,” he said, and he left in a huff.

That covenant is broken.

Vanessa Bryant showed her willingness to forgive by holding Kobe’s hand during the news conference. Will Laker fans, whose belief in Bryant has been tested by the developments over the last two weeks, make a similar gesture and applaud him at the first home game? Here’s guessing they will.

But Bryant’s in for cruel treatment on the road this season. Opposing fans still heckle Chris Webber 10 years after his most famous gaffe, when all he did was call an extra timeout.

Bryant can act defiant, and many of his greatest games have come in front of hostile fans on the road. But his words and tears Friday said he’s human, and he did admit it hurt to hear the fans boo when he won the All-Star game Most Valuable Player award in Philadelphia last year.

The receptions for Bryant will be just another aspect of the story of the Lakers, who figure to have one of the most scrutinized seasons in sports history.

No, there’s nothing wrong with hope. But in sports, as we discovered before the season even started, uncertainty is always easier to come by.

J.A. Adande can be reached at: j.a.adande@latimes.com