He's Back in the Picture

The advertisement shows Kobe Bryant in sharp profile, staring at a long list of insults that have been hurled at him by fans, the media, even his coach.

"Selfish."

"Uncoachable."

"Prima donna."

Conspicuous in its absence is any mention of his woes off the court -- but there is no mistaking that the two-page Nike ad in Sports Illustrated marks Bryant's re-emergence as a celebrity endorser on the national stage, more than 10 months after a felony sexual assault charge against him was dismissed.

This is not the Bryant fans saw before the scandal, the high-flying superstar, glamorous, almost perfect. This time, he is depicted in the role of underdog, facing up to his detractors, at least in basketball terms. Marketing experts call it a savvy means of testing public opinion, if not an ingenious first step in remolding the Laker star as a sympathetic figure.

"It shows Kobe as a real person who has made mistakes," said Osei Appiah, an assistant professor of advertising at Ohio State. "They're trying to cast him as a person who is fighting big odds, big obstacles."

In the aftermath of the criminal charges, corporations such as McDonald's and Ferrero, which makes Nutella hazelnut spread, chose not to renew their endorsement deals with the Laker star. Even Nike, which had signed Bryant to a reported $40-million to $45-million contract shortly before the incident, had kept him in the background.

So last week's ad represented something more than just a sleek pitch for a $130 pair of sneakers.

"I think enough time has passed," said Doug Shabelman, senior vice president of Burns Entertainment & Sports Marketing in Evanston, Ill. "And the way they used him in the ad ... it's a muted advertisement. It's quiet, calm."

A women's advocacy group saw it differently.

"We would ask corporations like Nike to act a little more responsibly," said Cynthia Stone, spokeswoman for the Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault. "They really are creating a role model that millions of young kids across the world are going to see. They could have put up someone who is not only accomplished as an athlete but also is a person who has a reputation as a fine, upstanding citizen."

Though the case against Bryant was dropped, experts say his image was damaged, if only because he admitted to adultery and issued a public apology to his accuser.

"Although I truly believe this encounter between us was consensual