Vanessa Bryant is an American icon. The wife of Kobe Bryant, Vanessa is best known for
her decades-long relationship with the athlete, but there's much more to this woman than her
marriage. Here's the stunning transformation of Vanessa Bryant.
Even though she seems to have had some talent for acting as a teenager, Vanessa Bryant wanted
to become a makeup artist. Instead of doing either, she became a model albeit accidentally.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Bryant was still in high school when she was discovered
at a hip hop concert at Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre in August 1999, just before the start of her
senior year of high school.
She ended up getting several jobs as a music video model with her mother accompanying her
to each job. Bryant would go on to appear in videos for artists like Krayzie Bone and
Snoop Dogg, unaware that her career would soon lead to her meeting the love of her life.
Vanessa Bryant fell in love with basketball legend Kobe Bryant when she was on the set
of a music video during Kobe's brief foray into rapping. Vanessa was just 17 at the time,
while Kobe was 20.
Kobe eventually asked for her number, which led to hours-long conversations and the pair
bonding over their mutual love for Disney. Soon, they were inseparable, frequently hanging
out at Disneyland. Kobe said that he fell for his future wife not just because of her
beauty, but because of how much they had in common.
Vanessa Bryant never seemed to seek the spotlight, even though she was married to one of the
most famous athletes of all time.
Friends and teachers told the Los Angeles Times that Vanessa didn't brag about her relationship
with NBA star Kobe Bryant when she was in school, and that she didn't use her connection
to boost her popularity with her classmates. Over the years, Vanessa has granted very few
interviews and shared few details of her personal life, preferring to live as normally as possible.
She has also turned down multiple offers to air her life on a reality TV show.
Vanessa Bryant gave birth to her oldest daughter, Natalia, in 2003, and she soon gave birth
to more children with NBA star Kobe Bryant. Motherhood transformed the young Vanessa,
and she happily threw herself into her new career as a stay-at-home mom.
While the Bryants had plenty of money thanks to Kobe's successful career, Vanessa was determined
to raise her kids on her own without the assistance of a nanny.
In 2005, Vanessa Bryant was looking forward to welcoming her second child into the world.
Sadly, she lost the baby due to an ectopic pregnancy. The loss crushed Bryant. While
the miscarriage was no one's fault, Kobe nevertheless harbored an immense amount of guilt for the
loss.
In the 2015 documentary Kobe Bryant's Muse, Kobe opened up about the loss. He blamed himself
for the tragedy, saying it was his fault that his wife had miscarried. Kobe believed it
was the stress of his sexual assault trial the previous year that had caused his wife
to lose the baby.
While Vanessa Bryant stood by Kobe Bryant's side amidst the allegations of sexual assault,
their marriage was not without its hardships.
In 2011, Vanessa filed for divorce after a decade of marriage. She asked for joint custody
of their children, and also requested spousal support. Sources told TMZ that Vanessa allegedly
suspected Kobe of infidelity.
While it looked like it might be the end of their relationship, Vanessa and Kobe were
still deeply in love. They eventually reconciled in 2013, calling off the divorce. Kobe commemorated
the reconciliation by writing a Facebook post,
"When the show ends and the music stops, the journey is made beautiful by having that someone
to share it with."
In 2016, Vanessa Bryant's husband, Kobe Bryant, played in his final NBA game. It was the end
of an era, but it brought about a welcome change of pace for the Bryant family. As Vanessa
told FabFitFun, the life of a professional basketball player's wife was hectic, consisting
of waking early in the morning, driving her kids around, and going to as many of Kobe's
games as possible. After Kobe's retirement, he was able to spend more time with the family.
For the first time since she had started dating Kobe, Vanessa was living a relatively normal
life. Kobe's devotion to his family became even more evident after retiring from the
NBA. A source told People that, after Kobe's retirement, he joined his wife in making raising
their kids their first priority.
In an Instagram post on Mother's Day 2019, Kobe posted a touching tribute to his beloved
wife, writing,
"You are the foundation of all that we hold dear. I love you."
Vanessa Bryant's life was struck by tragedy on January 26, 2020, when her husband Kobe
Bryant and daughter Gigi passed away in a helicopter accident. Losing her husband and
child obviously had a massive impact on Vanessa, who will mourn their loss for the rest of
her life. In a tearful speech given at the public memorial for her husband and daughter,
Vanessa praised her daughter.
"I miss you, all of you, every day. I love you."
Her tribute to her Kobe was no less heartbreaking. Vanessa reminisced about their life together
and their love story. She added,
"We loved each other with our whole beings, two perfectly imperfect people raising a beautiful
family and our sweet and amazing girls."
Months after the tragic deaths of Kobe and Gigi, CNN reported that Vanessa was urging
Congress to pass a law that would improve helicopter safety regulations.
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