EAGLE, Colo. -- Today is the day that could change basketball star Kobe Bryant's life as well as the life of a 19-year-old Colorado woman.

Later today, the Eagle County district attorney is expected to announce if charges will be filed against the Los Angeles Lakers guard. Eagle County District Attorney Mark Hurlbert said he would disclose his plans at a 3 p.m. press conference.

Vail Daily reported Friday that charges against Bryant were likely and that Hurlbert has already informed the alleged victim of his decision.

The district attorney, in his last statement to reporters, appeared confident, 7NEWS reporter Tony Kovaleski said. When asked for his reaction to some legal experts' opinion that the longer it takes for prosecutors to file charges, the weaker the case, Hurlbert told 7NEWS, "I don't know what experts are saying that, and that is not true."

"My read, just from everything that I hear, is that probably Mr. Hurlbert will be filing a count of unlawful sexual contact, a class four felony in the state of Colorado," said Jim Fahrenholtz, the former chief deputy district attorney for Eagle County. "I'm basing my opinion mostly on the degree of confidence of people who are in the position to know what's going on. They seem very confident. I kind of get the nod that that's what's going to be happening."

Bryant's Denver-based attorneys have flown to California and told 7NEWS that after Hurlbert's decision is announced, they will respond in Los Angeles. They have scheduled a 7 p.m. news conference at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

There is no word yet if Bryant will comment.

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If charges are filed, Bryant would have to return to Colorado on Aug. 6.

Hurlbert's much-anticipated decision comes two weeks after the Sheriff's Department decided that there was enough evidence to arrest Bryant on suspicion of sexual assault.

The investigation began on July 1, when a 19-year-old woman who works at the front desk at the Lodge and Spa at Cordillera in Edwards told authorities she was sexually assaulted by Bryant the day before.

The next day, sheriff's deputies took Bryant to a hospital in Glenwood Springs for undisclosed tests. His female accuser also underwent unspecified medical tests.

On July 4, after Bryant had flown back to California, Sheriff Joe Hoy issued an arrest warrant. The NBA All-Star then flew back to Colorado and turned himself in to the Eagle County Sheriff's Department. He was shortly released on $25,000 bond.

In his only public comments on the case, Bryant told the Los Angeles Times he "would never do something like that."

Details of the case have been sealed under a court order. Hurlbert has been reviewing the results of tests from the state crime laboratory.

Former Eagle County prosecutor Bruce C. Carey said DNA testing would not be definitive if there is a dispute over whether the alleged sexual contact was consensual. The district attorney would then need to rely on investigations of the backgrounds of Bryant and the woman.

The woman is well-known in Eagle as a former high school cheerleader and talented musician who auditioned for "American Idol" last year.

Bryant is a popular player in part because he has shown a dignity many fans feel is lacking in other NBA stars. He frequently appears in television advertising campaigns and has a multimillion-dollar contract with Nike. He met his wife, Vanessa Laine, in April 2001 and the two were engaged while she was still in high school. Their first child, Natalia Diamante Bryant, was born in January.

The alleged victim's family has hired Georgetown attorney Rob H. Wheeler, a former prosecutor with the District Attorney's Office.

The penalties for sexual assault range from probation to life in prison.