Byron Scott arrived on the outskirts of Hollywood with a chip on his shoulder and a stain on his name.

The newest gun in town came to the Los Angeles Lakers on Oct. 10, 1983, in a trade that sent the popular Norm Nixon to the San Diego Clippers.

It was supposed to be a homecoming for Scott, who grew up 14 blocks from the Forum and used to sneak into Lakers games as a kid. Instead, he was treated like a stranger in a strange land.

During a break at one of his first practices, he walked over to a water cooler, took a drink and filled another cup for team captain Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He walked over and made his offering, but Abdul-Jabbar just glared at him, folded his arms and turned his back.

Scott was left standing, confused and hurt, his hand trembling slightly, still holding the cup of water.

The Lakers resented the fact that every time they looked at Scott they didn`t see Nixon`s smiling, bearded face and twinkling eyes. Scott made it worse when he declared early on that he was a better offensive player than Earvin ''Magic'' Johnson.

Cockiness has its place, to be sure, in the world of pro basketball. Beneath that all-American image, Michael Jordan is as cocky as they come. Larry Bird has his own unique brand of cockiness. But what Scott said about Magic bordered on blasphemy, at least around these parts.

It delayed any possibility of acceptance by a couple of years. Those early days with the Lakers resembled a fraternity hazing with Scott as the pledge.

''It was hard coming to practice every day knowing that you really weren`t wanted there,'' Scott recalled. ''Nobody was really talking to me. It was a tough, tough situation.

''It`s nothing I held against any of them. I knew what they were going through. They`d just lost a close friend who was very dear to them, and they felt (General Manager) Jerry West had made a bad decision. I understood that. I think that`s one of the reasons why I hung in there.''

Hanging tough is a trademark of the Scott family. Byron`s father, Allen Holmes, was a superb 6-foot-5-inch sophomore guard at Utah State in 1960 and considered a can`t-miss selection for the U.S. Olympic basketball team.

One day he was battling Jerry West for a spot in the starting backcourt, and the next day he wasn`t good enough to make the team. There were whisperings at the time that there was a quota system in place, and with Oscar Robertson and Walt Bellamy already on the Olympic squad, one more black would be one too many.

One year later, Holmes was in a car accident and his leg was mangled. He never played the same again. His life hit the skids, but he is now working as a counselor in a Utah prison.

Scott`s brother is also in a Utah prison, serving time for burglary.

''He`s called me from there,'' Scott told the Los Angeles Times. ''He says he`s clean now, and he`s also told me the truth about the crimes he`s done.

''Sometimes, I blame it on myself. The pressure of me being a great athlete, getting the praise of my mom and pop, maybe there was a lack of attention there. Maybe this was his way of getting attention.''

More than ever, attention is again focused on Scott and his Laker teammates as they face the Detroit Pistons Sunday in Game 3 of the National Basketball Association championship series. They come into the Pontiac Silverdome with the best-of-seven competition even at one game apiece.

Scott has blossomed this season into a full-fledged star. He is now a legitimate option in crunch time, the outside-shooting alternative to Abdul-Jabbar`s skyhook, James Worthy`s swooping drives to the basket or Johnson`s creativity.

He has come a long way. Scott endured the abuse early and eventually proved his worth. During this last regular season, he led the Lakers in scoring with a career-high average of 21.7 points a game.

He also recorded career bests in rebounds, assists, steals and blocked shots.

More importantly, he is now a member of the Lakers` inner circle. Magic and Michael Cooper are his closest friends. Abdul-Jabbar doesn`t turn down cups of water anymore.

''Byron had to earn respect on this team,'' Cooper said. ''He came in and everybody judged him by the standard Norman set. He paid his dues. Now I`d say he is playing like an all-star.''

By measuring his words with the same care that he sights his deadly jumper, Scott meshed with Hollywood`s finest.

''Byron is playing a perfect `two` guard (off guard) for the Lakers,''

said Dallas star Mark Aguirre during the Western Conference finals. ''It`s incredible how he feeds off Magic. He`s playing the best I`ve seen him play in the NBA.''

Scott had the Lakers` first nine points and finished with 24 in the critical 108-96 victory over the Pistons in Game 2 Thursday at the Forum.

''Now we go to their place, the Silverdome, to play in front of 50,000 screaming people,'' Scott said. ''These are going to be fans-type games. Great stuff for the fans. The Motor City`s going to be motoring. They`re going to be going crazy in the Dome, and it`s up to us to shut them up.''

When Byron Scott does his talking on the court, people tend to shut up and listen.