Vanessa Bryant is the widow of Kobe Bryant, a well-known former professional basketball player in the United States. She was born on May 5, 1982 as Vanessa Cornejo Urbieta. Her parents are Mexican and of Mexican and Irish ancestry herself.
Vanessa was a model as a teenager before meeting and falling in love in 2000 with Kobe, who was still playing for the Los Angeles Lakers at the time. The two married in April 2001 and have four daughters: Natalia, Gianna, Bianka and Capri.
Bryant died unexpectedly in a helicopter crash in January 2020, leaving Vanessa a single mother. She has worked to preserve Bryant's legacy and remembrance, including leading the work of the Bryant and Gianna Bryant Foundations
The love story between Vanessa Bryant and Kobe Bryant began in 1999 when Vanessa was a 17-year-old high school student and Kobe became a star player for the Los Angeles Lakers. The two met on the set of a music video, where Kobe happened to be filming a music video for a song and Vanessa was a dancer in the music video
The two quickly attracted each other and started dating and getting along. At the time, Kobe hadn't gone public about their relationship because he didn't want it to affect his career. However, in 2000, their relationship was already exposed by the media, which attracted a lot of attention.
In April 2001, Vanessa and Kobe met in St. Bush, Dana Point, California. Edward Catholic Church held a grand wedding. At the time, Kobe was already one of the Lakers' star players, while Vanessa was a beautiful young woman whose wedding attracted a lot of media attention.
Their married life was not all smooth sailing. In 2011, Kobe was accused of sexually assaulting a 19-year-old hotel employee in Colorado, a matter that caused a lot of stress in their marriage. Although Vanessa initially chose to support her husband, they separated for a while before finally reconciling in 2013.
However, their love story took a drastic turn in January 2020. Kobe tragically died in a helicopter crash, leaving Vanessa without her husband and youngest daughter, Gianna. Despite being a huge blow, Vanessa has worked hard to preserve Kobe's legacy and remembrance and has shown her strength and responsibility as a mother.