May 12th, '97. The Delta Center, Salt Lake City, UT. Los Angeles Lakers vs. the Utah Jazz. Game Five.

There's 11.3 seconds left in regulation and the score is tied, 87-87. In the words of De La Soul, stakes is high. Not only because the Jazz are leading the Lakers 3-1 in the Western Conference Semifinals, but because things have gotten personal. It's the little things: a sneaky elbow here, a trip there, the hard stares, the merciless picks.

But for now, all that is secondary. The Lakers are in big trouble. A minute earlier, the big guy, Shaquille O'Neal, fouled out with 23 points and 13 rebounds. Harsh words were exchanged between him and Karl Malone after a flagrant foul committed by O'Neal early in the third quarter led to Malone receiving a technical. Robert Horry, meanwhile, gave Jazz guard Jeff Hornacek a rough forearm, earning himself an ejection. But this is nothing compared to the tension between Laker coach Del Harris and his point guard, Nick Van Exel. In Game Four, Van Exel had been pulled by Harris for waving off the coach's instructions, screaming vulgarities as Harris waved an admonishing finge

To hang around Kobe Bryant is to talk about his three greatest passions-basketball, family and hip-hop. That's it. You're not gonna get stories about how much expensive stuff he's bought with the help of his three year, $3.5 million contract and his multi-million dollar deals with Sprite and adidas-he just lets the money pile up in the bank. His only visible indulgences are his Lincoln Navigator and the black Range Rover he bought for his older sister, Shaya.

"They shouldn't be tough competition," I offer.

The two exchange pounds. Nothing but love. Vitti is jazz, Kobe is hip-hop. The one's Italian, the other speaks fluent Italian. Somehow it all makes sense. Synergy. An important concept in Kobe Bryant's psyche.

But he still isn't too old to be little Kob' around the right people. "Let me fix your collar, son," his grandfather says, adjusting the collar of his grandson's dress shirt. He gives him a hug and moves with Lakers' PR director John Black for the bus. It's time to go home and face the music.

Kobe lofts the ball, his long right arm outstretched to the sky, his hand flopping out at a 90 degree angle.

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Approximate Word count = 5032
Approximate Pages = 20 (250 words per page double spaced)