S. Samuel
NBA star Kobe Bryant's wife Vanessa is setting the record straight after catching heat over some recent New York Magazine remarks getting slammed by the Internet and media.
According to Vanessa, she would have still married Kobe even if he never had a championship ring for each finger.
Now, Vanessa tells TMZ … “I’m sad to hear that comments in my New York Magazine interview are being misconstrued and taken out of context. I have and will continue to support my husband’s dreams.” Vanessa continues, “I have been with Kobe for 13 years. I accepted his marriage proposal PRIOR to him winning any of his 5 championships with his teammates.” “For anyone to think otherwise is wrong. It is not about being married to a ‘winner’ it is about our sacrifice as a family.” (TMZ)
In her magazine feature, Mrs. Bryant’s NBA championship comments made nationwide headlines.
“I certainly would not want to be married to somebody that can’t win championships,” she tells the magazine in an article on NBA wives. “If you’re sacrificing time away from my family and myself for the benefit of winning championships, then winning a championship should happen every single year.” (USA Today)
Despite some rocky times, the couple have stayed together for just over a decade.
Married for 11 years, Vanessa, 30, and Kobe, 33, have endured their ups and downs – including her petition for divorce last year (she cited irreconcilable differences and terms for a settlement of his estimated $150 million estate were even negotiated). This was then followed by a reconciliation by this past Valentine’s Day. Most recently the Bryants were again sharing the winning side of things with daughters Natalia, 9, and Gianna, 6, by attending the 2012 Summer Games in London, cheering on Roger Federer, Michael Phelps and Gabby Douglas. (People)
In June, reports of a planned divorce getting called off between the Bryants surfaced.
Vanessa Bryant will NOT sign documents to make her divorce final … at least for now … because TMZ has learned, she and Kobe are working on a full reconciliation. We’ve learned Kobe and Vanessa are trying to work out the issues that caused her to file for divorce back in December. They spend a lot of time together but he has not officially moved back in with her. Under California law, Vanessa has to wait 6 months before she can file final docs making the divorce official. The 6-month mark hits this weekend, so Vanessa could end the marriage as early as Monday … but we know she won’t. Now here’s the deal. We’re told Kobe and Vanessa have had their ups and downs since she filed for divorce … and there’s nothing stopping her from filing final divorce papers at some point in the future if things don’t work out. One more thing. If Kobe and Vanessa end up living together … it will be in one of her 3 mansions, because he signed over all the deeds to her while they were working out divorce details. (TMZ)
