Kobe Personal Life - Wiki

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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".^[381] Bryant was in the building and working on his debut musical album. The two began dating and became engaged six months later in May 2000,^[381] while Laine was still a senior at Marina High School in Huntington Beach, California. To avoid media scrutiny, she finished high school through independent study.^[381] According to Vanessa's cousin Laila Laine, there was no prenuptial agreement. Vanessa said Bryant "loved her too much for one".^[382]

They married on April 18, 2001, at St. Edward the Confessor Catholic Church in Dana Point, California.^[383][384] The wedding was not attended by Bryant's parents, his two sisters, his longtime advisor and agent Arn Tellem, or his Laker teammates. 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.^[381] This disagreement resulted in an estrangement period of over two years, which ended when the couple's first daughter was born.^[386]

The Bryants' first child, Natalia, was born in January 2003.^[387] The birth resulted in a reconciliation between Bryant and his parents. Due to an ectopic pregnancy, Vanessa suffered a miscarriage in the spring of 2005. Their second daughter, Gianna, was born in May 2006.^[388] On December 16, 2011, Vanessa Bryant filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences, and the couple requested joint custody of their daughters.^[389][390] On January 11, 2013, Bryant and his wife both announced via social media that they had called off their divorce.^[391] In early December 2016, Vanessa gave birth to their third daughter, Bianka^{[392][393][394]} and in January 2019 the Bryants announced they were expecting a fourth daughter.^[395] Their daughter, Capri Kobe, was born in June 2019.^[396][397]

Bryant was a practicing Catholic. He said his faith and a priest helped him through difficult times, such as his trial for rape. A Catholic cantor said she was inspired by Bryant's faith, and the respect that he showed her.^[13][14][15] Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, received the Eucharist together just hours before their passing.^[398]

In 2013, Bryant had a legal disagreement with an auction house over memorabilia from his early years that his mother intended to auction. Pamela Bryant received $450,000 from the auction house for the items and claimed Bryant had given her the rights to the items he had remaining in her home. However, his lawyers sued the auction house asking it to return the items to Bryant.^[399] Before the scheduled trial, a settlement was reached allowing the auction house the sale of less than 10% of the original items.^[400] Bryant's parents apologized to him for the misunderstanding in a written statement, and appreciated the financial support Bryant had provided them over the years.^[401][402]

Bryant was multilingual. He was fluent in English, Italian and Spanish.^{[13][18][403][404]} Bryant assigned himself the nickname of "Black Mamba", citing a desire for his basketball skills to mimic the eponymous snake's ability to "strike with 99% accuracy at maximum speed, in rapid succession."^[405][406] During the 2012–13 season, he began referring to himself as "vino" to describe how his play had been aging like a fine wine.^[407][408]

In January 2002, Bryant bought a Mediterranean-style house for $4 million, located on a cul-de-sac in Newport Coast, Newport Beach.^[409] He sold the house in May 2015.^[410]

Bryant was a lifelong fan of his hometown NFL team, the Philadelphia Eagles.^[411] He was also a fan of soccer teams Barcelona, AC Milan and Manchester City.^[412][413]

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Philanthropy

Bryant was the official ambassador for After-School All-Stars (ASAS), an American non-profit organization that provides comprehensive after-school programs to children in thirteen US cities.^[455] Bryant also started the Kobe Bryant China Fund which partnered with the Soong Ching Ling Foundation, a charity backed by the Chinese government.^[456] The Kobe Bryant China Fund raises money within China earmarked for education and health programs.^[456] On November 4, 2010, Bryant appeared alongside Zach Braff at the Call of Duty: Black Ops launch event at the Santa Monica Airport, where they presented a $1 million check to the Call of Duty Endowment, an Activision-founded nonprofit organization that helps veterans transition to civilian careers after their military service has ended.^[428]

Together with his wife, Bryant founded the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation (KVBFF). Its goals are "helping young people in need, encouraging the development of physical and social skills through sports and assisting the homeless". Bryant spoke of the injustice aimed at homeless people who are blamed for their situation, saying that homelessness should not be ignored or made a low priority. Bryant said he wanted more out of life than just a successful basketball career.^[15]