The indictment itself has been the subject of criticism. An original set of charges did not specify the lies supposedly uttered by Webber and his relatives. But before the federal judge could rule on a request to dismiss them for being ''legally insufficient,'' the United States attorney, Richard G. Convertino, filed a ''superseding'' indictment. This indictment is more specific, though Webber's lawyer, Steven Fishman, describes it as a ''somewhat pathetic attempt by the government to make chicken salad out of chicken droppings.''

When asked if he received cash, rent payments, use of a car, clothing, jewelry, a stereo and money for a ''medical procedure for a girlfriend'' while a student at Michigan, Webber's transcribed replies are typically ''I don't believe so. I don't recall.'' These responses may be read as evasions or honest failures of memory -- depending on your point of view. Nothing approaching a $280,000 payout is ever mentioned, an omission Webber has likened to the anti-climactic opening of Al Capone's safe. ''There wasn't anything in there,'' he told The Sacramento Bee last fall. ''I think they wanted some glamour, some Hollywood, and I couldn't give it to them,''

Martin's son Carlton served 18 months in federal prison. Martin's sentencing has been delayed, perhaps to guarantee his July testimony against Webber. Last month, I spoke with several Detroit lawyers familiar with the case, all of whom seemed puzzled by the charges. The lies cited by the indictment, they say, are not particularly damning, and the supposed misdeeds hardly seem worth the attention of the U.S. attorney's office. One lawyer said the government must have a card it hasn't shown -- witness statements, proof of Webber's taking something significant -- in order to justify pursuit of a case that otherwise seems so flimsy. Convertino remains confident. ''The indictment is concise, clear and straightforward,'' he told me. ''We're prepared to move forward and prove our case in court.''

Webber is more blunt in his assessment. When I ask him why, if he is innocent, the U.S. attorney's office continues with the case, he says, ''They want my name.''

Now in his 10th year in the league, Webber is used to legal entanglement. In 1998, Webber was charged with driving under the influence and resisting arrest (he was acquitted), named as perpetrator in a sexual assault (the investigation was dropped for lack of evidence) and then fined for possession of marijuana in Puerto Rico. ''I've made some mistakes,'' he says, referring to the driving and drug episodes. But he places the sexual assault in a separate category. ''I never met the girl. I could meet her tomorrow and marry her, and I'd never know. You're guilty until proven innocent, no matter what they say.''

What galls Webber most about the current wrangle are the charges against his relatives. ''My dad and my aunt are two of the straightest arrows you've ever seen,'' he tells me. ''My dad has always been about accountability, honesty -- that's all he's ever had.'' As Webber talks, he reclines on a training table. The deft fingers that make him such an exceptional passer -- he averages almost five assists per game -- play a scale over his knee, searching for a sour note. ''When the truth comes out,'' he goes on, ''I know how this will be -- the second story is never as big as the first.''

Webber, who turns 30 this week, grew up with three brothers and a sister in a small home on the west side of Detroit. His father worked at a G.M. plant. His mother, Doris, was a schoolteacher. By the time he was a prodigiously tall adolescent, it was clear he had the basketball knack. As an eighth grader, he played A.A.U. ball with such gifted neighborhood pals as Jalen Rose (now with the Chicago Bulls) and Voshon Lenard (Toronto Raptors). He also, because of his parents' concern about education, attended Detroit Country Day School, a prep school located outside the city, with financial aid. It was there that he began to develop what his high-school coach, Kurt Keener, called his ''chameleon ability'' to mediate the unyielding strictures of race and class, fitting in with much wealthier classmates and fighting off criticism that he was getting a cushy ride while others -- the fatherless Rose, for instance -- had to struggle their way out of the ghetto.