Kobe Asserts His Innocence

Speaking publicly for the first time since he was accused of sexual assault, Kobe Bryant denied the allegations and said he "would never do something like that."

"When everything comes clean, it will all be fine, you'll see," Bryant, 24, told the Los Angeles Times in a story published Sunday.

The five-time NBA All-Star would not discuss details of the case, the newspaper said.

"I shouldn't have to say anything. You know I would never do something like that," the Los Angeles Lakers star said in the brief telephone interview.

Bryant is accused of sexually assaulting a 19-year-old woman at the Lodge & Spa at Cordillera in Edwards, Colo., on June 30. All records in the case have been sealed.

Bryant, who was in Colorado for knee surgery at a Vail clinic, surrendered to authorities on July 4 and was released after posting a $25,000 bond. Prosecutors have said they expect to decide this week whether to file charges against Bryant.

Bryant's attorneys have previously said he is innocent and expects to be exonerated.

Eagle County District Attorney Mark Hurlbert told The Denver Post that victim-services advocates have spent time with the woman, and have been preparing her "as much as you can" for the intense scrutiny she already is facing.

Reporters from around the country streamed through the middle-class cul-de-sac where the woman lives with her parents. The woman's father declined to speak to The Associated Press, referring all questions to Hurlbert.

Friends say the 19-year-old woman is a 2002 graduate of Eagle Valley Senior High School, a former cheerleader and a talented piano player who sang in the choir.