From love at first sight to the brink of divorce, to a trip to Disneyland
and disturbing allegations, Kobe and Vanessa's relationship wasn't always a slam dunk.
Here are all the details about their life together that you may not have known.
Before Kobe Bryant was a basketball legend, he actually had plans to become a rapper.
While his music career never took off, it did lead him to the set of
Tha Eastsidaz's "G'd Up" music video, where he met Vanessa Laine in 1999,
as noted by the Los Angeles Times. Vanessa was only 17 at the time.
While the pair didn't know each other for long,
they were both convinced that it was love at first sight.
"She caught my heart and I just knew that she was the one."
The legendary athlete further opened up in the film "Kobe Bryant's Muse," explaining that he "was
always looking for" Vanessa during the two-day music video shoot. According to the Los Angeles
Times, the two were attached at the hip after the shoot wrapped, and Kobe even sent roses
to Vanessa's high school in a scene that seems straight out of a romantic comedy.
Don't let Kobe Bryant's tall frame and cool exterior fool you.
Believe it or not, the iconic basketball player was actually a huge fan of Disney.
In the documentary "Kobe Bryant's Muse," Kobe sweetly recalled how quickly he and
Vanessa got close thanks to their shared love of Disney. Kobe said,
"I loved the Disney movies and things like that,
but I never really had a chance to go to the park much. She was a big Disney fan, too,
and we used to hang out at Disneyland. We used to go to Magic Mountain, she became my best friend."
"You never know who you'll run into at Disneyland. Kobe Bryant, how cool is it to be you right now?"
Kobe later took Vanessa back to Disneyland on the 20th anniversary of the day they met
and posted a photo on his Instagram with the caption,
"On this day 20 years ago I met my best friend,
my Queen [...] I decided to take her on a date to Disneyland tonight to celebrate old school style."
Kobe Bryant was so sure that Vanessa Bryant was the one that the couple got engaged after
only six months of dating. The two lovebirds waited until Vanessa turned 18 and then said
"I do" in April 2001. Even though Vanessa was still a high school senior,
everyone could tell that the pair was madly in love. According to ExtraTV, Kobe shared in his
documentary "Kobe Bryant's Muse," that he could not wait to marry Vanessa, saying:
"But now, being in Los Angeles and feeling like I'm going to be a Laker for the rest of my life,
I just met this beautiful woman that I just see the world the same way with.
We'd wake up and do what kids do. I'd take her to the batting cage, go hit some balls,
we'd play miniature golf, go to the movies, go out to eat. It was just a beautiful time, man."
Although their romance seemed like a fairytale, there was skepticism
concerning the relationship. However, Vanessa and Kobe continued to surprise
people. The Los Angeles Times reported that there was no prenuptial agreement because,
as Vanessa shared with her stepfather, Kobe, quote, "loved her too much."
One of Kobe Bryant's lasting legacies is his dedication to his family, especially to his
daughters. Natalia "Nani" Bryant came first in January 2003, followed by Gianna "Gigi" Bryant in
May 2006, Bianka "BB" Bryant in December 2016, and lastly Capri "KoKo" Bryant in June 2019.
Although there were plenty of Kobe fans who hoped that he and Vanessa would give
birth to a son who would carry on the basketball icon's NBA legacy,
Kobe was very vocal about how much he adored being a "girl dad."
"I love having girls."
"Yes, it suits you."
"Like I love them. Yeah they're awesome, man."
In true mama bear fashion, Vanessa never misses an opportunity to talk about how proud she is of
her daughters. In an interview with People, Vanessa shared that all of her girls are,
quote, "strong, resilient, respectful and kind." The proud mother continued,
"They're people that I would aspire to be if I was growing up with them."
When Kobe Bryant was charged with sexual assault in July 2003, Vanessa stood by him. A 19-year-old
hotel employee in Colorado accused the Lakers basketball player of misconduct;
however, Kobe denied the sexual assault allegations, insisting that the encounter
was consensual. In a statement reported by the Chicago Tribune, Kobe said,
"I'm innocent. I sit here in front of you guys furious at myself,
disgusted at myself for making the mistake of adultery."
The criminal case against Bryant was later dropped three weeks after the Colorado woman filed a civil
lawsuit in 2004, and Kobe and Vanessa remained a couple. Kobe stated that his wife was his
"backbone" throughout that period of time, as Vanessa remained glued to his side in support.
Despite several challenging times throughout their marriage, Kobe and Vanessa Bryant's love
and commitment to each other carried them through 20 years together. In an episode of Showtime
Basketball's "All the Smoke," Kobe shared the secret to their successful relationship.
"So it's the constant up and down, the ebb and flows of relationships. But that's also
the beauty of it: having the persistence and determination to work through things."
Instances of "very tough things" include the time that Vanessa experienced a miscarriage,
which devastated the mom of one at the time and her husband. In Showtime's "Kobe Bryant's
Muse," the basketball player blamed himself for the heartbreaking situation. He shared
that he believed the 2003 charge filed against him put a lot of stress on Vanessa and said,
"But the reality is it happened because of me. That's the reality of it."
After a decade of marriage and the birth of two daughters, Kobe and Vanessa Bryant
hit another roadblock in their marriage. In December 2011, ESPN reported that Vanessa
filed for divorce from Kobe due to "irreconcilable differences." According to the Los Angeles Times,
in a joint statement, the Bryants announced that they would share custody of their daughters
and that all matters regarding their divorce would be determined in private.
However, their estrangement did not last long. According to NBC Sports,
after two years of working on their marriage,
the couple shared on Instagram that they had reconciled. Vanessa shared in a post:
"We are pleased to announce that we have reconciled. Our divorce action
will be dismissed. We are looking forward to our future together."
One of the main reasons Kobe and Vanessa Bryant had such a long-lasting marriage was because
they were each other's "best friends," as they put it. In February 2020, Vanessa shared an old
interview clip where Kobe was asked a series of rapid-fire questions. When the ExtraTV
interviewer asked the basketball star who his best friend was, Kobe didn't even have to think.
"And his best friend. My wife."
Kobe was also known for sharing touching pictures of his wife and never hesitated
to let the world know how much she meant to him. The dedicated husband and father
of four shared a gorgeous selfie of Vanessa for her birthday in 2018 with the caption,
"Happy Birthday to my baby @vanessabryant my love and my best friend."
Kobe and Vanessa Bryant started the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Family
Foundation in 2007. WUSA 9 reported that the foundation awarded numerous scholarships,
collaborated with the Make a Wish Foundation, and ran multiple basketball camps and sports programs.
Kobe and Vanessa have also supported multiple projects through their family foundation,
including the National Museum of African American History & Culture. According to People,
the couple made a generous donation of at least $1 million. When the museum opened, Kobe tweeted,
"Go. See. This. Museum. There is no greater testament to this country than
the stories in this building. Honored to be a part of it."
In addition, after Kobe's death, Vanessa made a public statement announcing the new
MambaOnThree foundation and asking for donations in order to support
other families affected by the helicopter crash.
Kobe and Vanessa Bryant were never shy about posting supportive photos and
bragging about their kids on social media. In an episode of Showtime Basketball's "All the
Smoke," Kobe explained that he and Vanessa wanted the best for their girls' futures.
"We just try to raise our girls to be strong,
independent women, you know what I'm saying, hold themselves to really high standards."
As most proud parents do, Vanessa and Kobe loved to post photos of their girls on Instagram.
The Bryant parents made it very clear that they could not have been prouder of their kids.
After Kobe Bryant's death, Vanessa Bryant had to take the helm at some of his companies.
One of these projects included Granity Studios. Kobe started the multimedia company with the goal
of creating stories about young athletes. In an interview with Showtime Basketball's
"All the Smoke," the athlete described his passion for writing novels. Kobe explained,
"The novel writing really started just for the kids.
The kids can't keep reading stories that have no relation to them whatsoever."
Some novels published through Granity Studios include "The Mamba Mentality: How I Play"
and "The Wizenard Series: Training Camp."
Vanessa also relaunched one of her late husband's charitable projects,
the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation, as a tribute to Kobe and Gianna. The foundation's
goal is to support female athletes like daughter Gianna was and to, quote, "create a world where
young boys and girls had equal opportunity to pursue their dreams through sports and life."
While the years that have passed since Kobe and Gianna Bryant's tragic deaths surely
doesn't make life any easier for the "Queen Mamba," Vanessa explained to People that
she is encouraged by her unconditional love for her late husband and daughter, saying:
"I guess the best way to describe it is that Kobe and Gigi motivate me to keep going.
They inspire me to try harder and be better every day."
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