Kobe Bryant and Vanessa Bryant were one of the most beautiful couples from the NBA.
Before a couple
- Kobe Bryant was a member of the Lakers
- Vanessa Laine was a model
Relationship
In November 1999, 21-year-old Bryant met 17-year-old Vanessa Laine while she was working as a background dancer on the Tha Eastsidaz music video "G'd Up". Bryant was in the building working on his debut musical album, which was never released. They struck up a conversation and exchanged numbers. The two began dating and became engaged just six months later in May 2000, while Laine was still a senior at Marina High School in Huntington Beach, California. She completed high school via home program due to the pandemonium with her dating Kobe Bryant. According to Vanessa's cousin Laila Laine, there was no prenuptial agreement. Vanessa said Bryant "loved her too much for one".
Marriage
Kobe and Vanessa at the oscars
They married on April 18, 2001, at St. Edward Roman Catholic Church in Dana Point, California. Neither Bryant's parents, his two sisters, longtime advisor and agent Arn Tellem, nor Bryant's Laker teammates attended. Bryant's parents were opposed to the marriage for a number of reasons. Reportedly Bryant's parents had problems with him marrying so young, especially to a woman who was not African-American. This disagreement resulted in an estrangement period of over two years, which ended when Bryant had his first daughter.
Ages at Wedding:
Kobe, 22; Vanessa, 18.
Miscellaneous:
- Kobe and Vanessa reportedly do not have a prenuptial agreement.
- Shortly after admitting to being unfaithful, Kobe bought Vanessa a $4 million eight-carat, purple diamond ring.
- Kobe and Vanessa reportedly often wear matching leather bracelets as a sign of their love for one another.
- Although Vanessa and Kobe maintained that their marriage is strong, an article in Newsweek suggested that Kobe and Vanessa were growing apart in early 2003. Kobe apparently had contacted a divorce attorney in March 2003.
Children
Gianna, Vanessa, Bianka, Kobe, Natalia
Kobe and Vanessa have four daughters.
- Natalia Diamante Bryant: Born in 2003.
- Gianna Maria-Onore Bryant: Born in 2006, Died 2020
- Bianka Bella Bryant: Born in 2016
- Capri Kobe Bryant: Born in 2019
Death of Kobe
On January 26, 2020, Kobe, Gianna, and seven others were killed in a helicopter crash near Calabasas, California.