Kobe Says That Rape Case Made Him a Better Person

Putting a positive spin on a rape charge isn't an easy sell, but L.A.'s very own Kobe Bryant did just that in a recent interview with Yahoo's Graham Bensinger.

Talking about his 2003 court case in which a woman in Colorado accused him of sexual assault, Bryant said that the experience made him a stronger person.

"You have to release yourself and let things be," he said, "and I think that helps your maturity a lot."

Bryant added that he's spent some time talking to NFL player Ray Lewis, who once faced a murder charge, because other players just couldn't relate to what he was going through.

"Other players can’t relate to that sort of stuff, to that type of pressure," he said.