Kid You Not: Bryant, 19, an All-Star

The Lake Show gets a Broadway run, and then some. A world stage, as if the one the Lakers have been on so far hasn’t been big enough.

It comes prematurely to Kobe Bryant, which means only that he’ll start stringing all-star appearances together a year or two earlier than expected. The honor arrived for the first time Sunday as he was named a starter for the Western Conference and will surely be followed by others. At 19, he is the youngest player in NBA history to make the opening lineup, even if he does not yet hold the same standing on his own team.

And it comes to Shaquille O’Neal as a reminder of his popularity, a worthwhile endorsement amid the considerable criticism of his still-young Laker career--of being unable to get them past the second round of the playoffs in the spring, to act responsibly in the fall or to make a free throw in any season. At 25, he is already an all-star for the sixth time.

The popularity contest--fan balloting determined the starters for the Feb. 8 game in New York--actually meant something in Los Angeles. When the final results were announced Sunday, Michael Jordan had received the most votes for the ninth time, O’Neal had edged San Antonio’s David Robinson at center in the closest finish (565,184-548,633) and the Lakers had become the only team to get two starters.

In the process, their chances for multiple reserves probably were greatly hurt. Though the regard for Bryant’s potential goes unquestioned, he would have gotten wait-till-next-year consideration from team personnel around the league while the focus of more deserving all-star attention went to others. Such as Eddie Jones and Nick Van Exel.

But now that Bryant has taken one of the spots at guard, the chance of the two Laker starters there also being selected by coaches is highly unlikely. That would not merely make for four players from the same team, but three from the same position from the same team.

The results of that polling will be known as soon as today and by Tuesday at the latest, depending on how fast coaches return their ballots, which call for two guards, two forwards, one center and two players regardless of position. Each coach votes only for players in his conference and may not vote for players on his team.

Bryant finished second in fan voting to Gary Payton among Western guards, so he gets the spot in the starting lineup in Madison Square Garden and the spot in the history books, replacing a 20-year-old named Magic Johnson as the youngest to be in that role.

“It was a goal of mine,” said the top scorer in the league among players who have yet to start a game. “Now that it has become reality, it’s more gratifying than anything.

“It’s definitely cool, them acknowledging the hard work I did in the off-season and the work I’ve been doing in the regular season. It’s good to know they support you, that they’re out there responding to what you do.”

O’Neal, meanwhile, would have been going anyway, strained abdominal muscle willing. He would have been picked by coaches as a reserve if not by fans as a starter, so the backup role will go to Robinson.

“It’s always nice to get voted on by fans,” O’Neal said.

In addition to O’Neal, Bryant and Payton, the rest of the West opening lineup consists of Karl Malone and Kevin Garnett at forward. Malone, playing in his 11th game, was the top vote-getter in the conference with 616,251.

Jordan and Penny Hardaway were chosen at guard in the Eastern Conference, though chances are good a knee injury will force Hardaway to decline. Grant Hill and Shawn Kemp will be at forward, Dikembe Mutombo at center.

George Karl of Seattle will coach the West team, edging Harris for the best record as of Sunday’s cut-off date, and Larry Bird of Indiana the East, after Chicago’s loss to Utah on Sunday. Bird had said he would skip the game to take a Florida vacation.

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All-Star Starters

WESTERN CONFERENCE

F Karl Malone: Utah

F Kevin Garnett: Minnesota

C Shaquille O’Neal: Lakers

G Gary Payton: Seattle

G Kobe Bryant: Lakers

EASTERN CONFERENCE

F Grant Hill: Detroit

F Shawn Kemp: Cleveland

C Dikembe Mutombo: Atlanta

G Michael Jordan: Chicago

G Penny Hardaway: Orlando