The Internet has been buzzing about Kobe Bryant's recent feature and photo shoot for Los Angeles Times Magazine. The shoot features Kobe clad in all white with a strange arrangement of a hat, bow tie and some sort of hijab or head wrap (take a look here). Folks from all over wasted no time in having fun with the pictures and spreading around altered images across the Web (check out this gallery). Now, Kobe's photo shoot stylist is trying to do a bit of damage control and explain what his vision truly meant.

"He's wearing a shirt buttoned up with a bow tie, but we put a hat on and created a character. Kobe was amazing to work with because he was cool with everything. He trusted us. We took a picture and he liked it so we kept going," stylist James Valeri told the L.A. Times.

"We wanted to do a picture with a hat because the photographer wanted to do everything in white. I didn't want to use accessories that would look too retro. Let's do it in a cool, young way because that's what Kobe is. He's a cool, young and successful athlete. I wanted to give a modern approach. I was thinking of [rapper] Tupac [Shakur], where I put a band underneath in the hat to make it look hip-hop, but ... it translates in a surreal look where it creates a strong image. It was something that hasn't been done before. It's mixing the inspiration of Tupac and a gentleman with a white hat ... a mix of a hip-hop and a conservative look."

Uh. Okay. If you noticed in the pictures, all of Kobe's tattoos are airbrushed away, as well. That's not very hip-hop. Regardless, the Lakers are up 2-0 in the second round series of the NBA Playoffs against the Jazz, and while the photo shoot may be a bit embarrassing for Laker fans, all they care about is getting that ring. Besides, Kobe could wear lipgloss and a dress on the court and still drop 40 points in another squad's face.