Kobe Accuser Won't Have To Testify

The woman who accused Kobe Bryant of rape will not have to testify during the NBA star's preliminary hearing next week, a judge ruled Thursday.

Judge Frederick Gannett also said the Oct. 9 hearing will be open to the public, a decision that could prompt Bryant's defense team to waive the hearing and go straight to trial.

The judge said he would meet with attorneys in the case immediately before the hearing to determine whether parts of it should be closed to preserve Bryant's right to a fair trial.

Gannett will decide during the preliminary hearing whether there is enough evidence to hold Bryant for trial.

Bryant, 25, is charged with sexually assaulting a woman who worked at a mountain resort in Edwards, Colo., where he stayed June 30. The Los Angeles Lakers' star, who is free on $25,000 bond, has said the two had consensual sex.

He faces four years to life in prison if convicted.

Asked how the trial will affect the Lakers upcoming season, Bryant's teammate Shaquille O'Neal told CBS News' Early Show: "This is either going to make us stronger, or make us weaker, and I'm ready for it, because I've been preparing myself for it all summer."

"I have faith in the justice system, so I'm just going to sit back and, you know, see what happens just like everybody else," O'Neal said. "You know, I'm not going to speculate about what happened because I don't know what happened."

O'Neal said that upon first hearing of the allegations against Bryant, he wasn't shocked, "because in the world we live in, accusations can always be made."