Kobe Bryant and his wife Vanessa were married for 19 years before his untimely death in a helicopter crash on January 26, 2020. The couple married on April 18, 2001, when he was just 22, and she was 19. The couple was married for 19 years before he passed away.
Vanessa and Kobe welcomed four daughters during their nearly two-decade-long marriage — 17-year-old Natalia Diamante Bryant, 13-year-old Gianna Maria-Onore Bryant, 3-year-old Bianka Bella Bryant, and 8-month-old Capri Kobe Bryant. Tragically, Gianna perished with her father and seven others in the crash.
Many people remember that while Kobe, known as Black Mamba , was a record-setting NBA basketball star, he was also a family man who loved his wife and daughters through all the ups and downs he and Vanessa shared over the years.
Kobe Met Vanessa During Her Senior Year Of High School
In November 1999, Kobe met his future wife during the filming of the Snoop Dogg and Tha Eastsidaz music video “G’d up,” according to Business Insider . Vanessa got the part in the video after somebody spotted her at a concert. She was a senior at Marina High School in Huntington Beach, California. Her parents did not let her date much, but in an Instagram post, the father of four revealed that he asked Vanessa for her number on November 28, 1999. They ended up having their first date at Disneyland accompanied by Kobe’s bodyguards as they enjoyed the theme park. During their courtship, Kobe sent roses to Vanessa at her high school, causing a stir among her classmates.
After six months, Kobe proposed to Vanessa — on her 18th birthday — on May 5, 2000. Ahead of exchanging vows, Kobe told Vanessa that he loved her so much that he didn’t want to sign a prenuptial agreement. Ultimately, they tied the knot at St. Edward the Confessor Catholic Church in Dana Point, California. Unfortunately, Kobe’s parents and sisters strongly disapproved of him getting married so young, so they did not attend the intimate wedding.
Kobe & Vanessa Weathered Several Storms Throughout The Years
The same year that Vanessa gave birth to their first child, Natalia , a 19-year-old woman accused the Los Angeles Lakers star of assaulting her in June 2003 in Denver, Colorado. While Kobe denied the allegations, he did admit to cheating on Vanessa. She sat beside him and held his hand as Kobe admitted it during a July 2003 press conference the Lakers had to address the situation. Kobe told the world he made a mistake, calling Vanessa his “backbone.” Vanessa also released a statement of support for Kobe.
Ultimately, the charges were dropped, and later Kobe settled a civil lawsuit with the woman for an undisclosed amount of money. In the wake of his cheating scandal, Kobe bought Vanessa a giant 8-karat purple diamond, and much of the world felt it was representative of his apology to her, People reported. Unfortunately, during the stress of the ordeal, Vanessa suffered a miscarriage, which the couple also went through together.
In May 2006, Kobe and Vanessa welcomed Gigi to their lives, becoming a family of four with Natalia. Together, over the next several years, they gave back to the community through several philanthropic efforts. However, in December 2011, they filed for divorce in Orange County due to “irreconcilable differences.” Just over a year after their divorce filing, Kobe and Vanessa announced their reconciliation in January 2013.
Shortly after Bianka’s 2016 birth, Kobe decided to retire from basketball. In 2019, the couple welcomed their fourth daughter, Capri, just over half a year before Kobe passed away. On Valentine’s Day, Vanessa posted a heartbreaking tribute to her late husband, whom she called her “forever Valentine” on Instagram , revealing that the day celebrating love had been his favorite holiday.