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CLEVELAND -- Los Angeles Lakers rookie Kobe Bryant, who went directly from high school to the NBA, had a busy All-Star Saturday as a participant in the Rookie Game and the Slam Dunk Contest.
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Even though he was playing against high schoolers at this time last season, Kobe Bryant is holding his own in the NBA.
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Danny Tang, Baltimore: What do you think the Lakers' outlook for the rest of the year is after beating the Bulls, even without Shaquille O'Neal?
Kobe Bryant: That win was a big emotional lift us, not just for the players, but for the coaching staff. Having the ability to go in there against a tough Bulls team and beat them -- minus Shaq -- I think that's a confidence-booster.
I think coming into the second half of the season, you'll see us playing a lot better basketball.
Willie Musty, Anaheim Hill, Calif.: If you went to a lesser team where you got more playing time -- maybe as a starter -- instead of coming off the bench for a talented Lakers team, do you think this would change the skill level you are at right now or at the end of the season?
Bryant: I really don't know, because I only play for one team and that's the Los Angeles Lakers, and I'm going to make the best out of this situation.
I was always taught that the person makes the situation; the situation doesn't make the person. That's how I look at things, and that's how I take things.
Chris Rogers, Lufkin, Texas: The Lakers have three superfly guards (Nick Van Exel, Eddie Jones and yourself), a solid rookie guard (Derek Fisher) andRobert Horry at small forward. Is there room for all of you? It seems awful hard to get any minutes.
Bryant: Because Eddie Jones and myself are versatile -- and Robert Horry as well -- we're very interchangeable. We can go in there and mix things up a bit, according to the matchups with the other team.
Pat Wandalowski, Philadelphia: What are your thoughts of Eddie Jones' game (and his emergence as an All-Star)?
Bryant: I think it was more of a mind thing with Eddie. I think everybody in the league knows that he has a lot of talent; it was just a matter of him stepping up and taking things over. I think he's done that this year.
D.J. Burke, Los Angeles: When you got traded to the Lakers were you worried about the L.A. media or the pressure of playing in L.A.?
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Eddie Jones has emerged as an All-Star in only his third season.
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All the talk that the media puts around you -- the hype and expectations -- that's good because it's good to have people's support. But at the same time, you just have to do the things you expect out of yourself and that the team expects out of you.
Also from D.J. Burke: It seems that you are much more looked at and studied than the other high school phenom, Portland's Jermaine O'Neal (who plays in a smaller market).
Bryant: I think it depends on personalities. Jermaine O'Neal is more of a quiet type of guy who keeps to himself a lot. I am, to some degree, the same way, but I can be outgoing a little bit more. But I think you have to see how the personalities fit.
Jessica Klein, Vernon, Conn.: Did the players on the Lakers accept you when you first started out in the preseason, or did they think that since you had jumped from high school to the NBA that they could just do anything they wanted boss you around?
Bryant: They treated me like just another basketball player. (Lakers rookies) have been really fortunate because guys haven't gotten into rookie-bashing. There hasn't been much of that.
Scott Wright, Sandstone, Minn.: What current NBA player do you most look up to and why?
Bryant: I try to draw a little bit from every basketball player. I want to be a well-rounded basketball player, so I think I need to pick up something from every player and add it to my game.
