David Sweet • E-mail

In the decades of Monday Night Football, celebrities ranging from John Lennon to Ronald Reagan surprised viewers by popping into the announcers’ booth. But their visits may have seemed commonplace in comparison to the guest who appeared via satellite during halftime of the Green Bay-Baltimore blowout in December: Kobe Bryant.

Interviewed by Al Michaels, Bryant deftly helped promote the NBA’s marquee Christmas Day matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Miami Heat. Viewers must have wondered if their Tivo was going haywire — after all, the last time Bryant was watched by a national television audience away from his beloved basketball court, he looked grim in numerous clips as he fought to stay out of prison after being accused of rape in Colorado in 2003.

But now, 2½ years since cheating on his wife with a resort employee at the Lodge and Spa at Cordillera and being accused of sexual assault, the Laker guard — along with ABC/ESPN, the NBA and Nike — is attempting to resurrect his public image in a very public manner.

Consider: ESPN featured NBA players, including Bryant in 15- and 30-second spots before the season in a campaign to promote the virtues of the league. And ESPN and ABC, both owned by Walt Disney Co., are definitely embracing Bryant as the Lakers will be featured on national telecasts more than 30 times this season, tops in the NBA, and it’s not because broadcast executives are salivating over the moves of rookie guard Von Wafer.

During the Lakers-Heat game on Christmas Day, Bryant missed a game-tying shot at the end and endured a snub from former teammate Shaquille O’Neal. But the bigger story may have been ensconced on his feet: he wore his new Nike shoe, called the Zoom Kobe I, which will be sold nationally in February.

When Nike’s new embrace of Bryant became clear in November, TV talking heads squawked. Never reticent about voicing his opinion, Deutsch Inc. Chair & CEO Donny Deutsch said on the “Today” show, “What the hell are you doing, Nike?” Comedian Jay Leno was glad to be handed new material: “Nike has announced that after dropping Kobe Bryant two years ago, they’re bringing him back to endorse a new line of Kobe shoes. They don’t make you jump higher, but if you’re charged with a crime, they can help you walk”

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Is championing a one-time disgraced athlete a good business move? David Carter, principal of The Sports Business Group, sees upside, especially after putting Bryant in context with other sports malfeasance.

”What we have seen since Kobe ’s mess is a litany of misbehavior of athletes, whether testifying before Congress or jumping in the stands. The American public has become tone-deaf to these athletes,” Carter said.

”I don’t sense many people in the (sports business) industry haphazardly make decisions of when to reintroduce a product. They’ve all looked at the risk and return. The NBA and others are saying, ‘We’ll take the risk.’ “

No doubt Bryant is back to his old self on the court. He poured in 62 points in a game against the Mavericks in December — in three quarters. Through Jan. 11, he has scored more than 40 points per game five straight times.

And many fans seem ready to forgive and forget. Bryant ranked fifth in jersey sales through mid-December, according to the NBA, and must have taken special satisfaction that his jersey sold more than those of former teammate and present rival O’Neal, who led the NBA last season.

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Still, Bryant still has a ways to go in his comeback as a pitchman. When SportsBusiness Journal and Sports Business Daily asked readers who are the most marketable players in the NBA, Cleveland ’s LeBron James won with 45 percent of the vote. Bryant only mustered 2.2 percent, barely ahead of little-known Steve Nash.

”The traditional Fortune 500 companies have to steer clear (of Bryant),” Carter said. “McDonald’s, Sprite, they have the pick of the litter of who they can work with, and they don’t have to work with athletes. I think he’s probably out for good for Fortune 500 guys. They could get an emerging star who lacks the baggage and rap sheet Kobe has.”

But that rap sheet is not shunned by all. Bryant’s recent return to the world of marketing and advertising gives hope to other athletes who have fallen from grace. During halftime of Monday Night Football next fall, maybe a certain baseball great will be interviewed to promote the World Series. His name? Rafael Palmeiro.  

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