Basketball star's rape trial recalls O J drama

The trial of Kobe Bryant, the American basketball mega-star accused of raping a young resort worker at a luxury spa outside Vail in Colorado in June last year, is finally under way amid the same kind of circus-like atmosphere that surrounded the O J Simpson drama almost a decade ago.

More than 500 residents of Eagle, Colorado, where the trial taking place with as many as 600 reporters from around the world watching, filed into the main courthouse on Friday to answer preliminary questionnaires about a case that combines questions of race, sex and super-charged celebrity. Prosecutors and lawyers for the defence will begin direct questioning of potential jurors tomorrow in an effort to whittle them down to a panel of 12 who can sit in judgment on the 26-year-old member of the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team. Opening statements are expected on 7 September.

Finding the right mix of jurors is fraught with risk for both sides. While attitudes about race and sexual promiscuity will be important, most experts say that his celebrity status will be of greatest concern. "Obviously for Kobe Bryant the challenge is that he's a black athlete," said Patricia Smith, a trial consultant, alluding to the 1995 trial of O J Simpson, the former football star who was acquitted of murdering his ex-wife and her friend. "A huge percentage of Americans think he got off because of who he was and think Kobe Bryant might get off because of who he is."

Prosecutors will claim at trial that Mr Bryant met the woman, who has not been officially identified, at the Lodge and Spa Cordillera, a luxury resort in Edwards, Colorado, in June 2003. Nineteen years old at the time, she worked on the front desk. They will attempt to prove that he took her to his room and forcibly had sex with her over a chair.

Mr Bryant has pleaded not guilty but has admitted to having consensual sex with the woman. If found guilty, the star, who remains a player with the Lakers, could face four years to life in prison or 20 years to life on probation, and a fine of up to $750,000.

At stake also is Mr Bryant's formidable career, not to mention his future endorsing products. Measuring 6ft 6in, he became a role model for many young black Americans after turning professional on leaving high school and quickly transferring to the Lakers.

Uncertainty lingers over proceedings in Eagle, however, following a last-minute objection last week by prosecutors. They claimed that DNA evidence from the defence, suggesting that the woman had had sex with someone else soon after seeing Mr Bryant, may have been contaminated. They want a separate hearing on the issue, which could delay the start of the trial itself.

Judge Terry Ruckriegle gave the prosecution until Tuesday to present more evidence to back up its claim, and also chastised it for raising the DNA issue so late before the start of the trial.

A defence lawyer, Hal Haddon, criticised prosecutors for their late intervention. "These motions are humbugs," he said, "designed to confuse the jury."