Kobe Bryant and Wife Vanessa’s Relationship Through the Years

Kobe Bryant and his wife, Vanessa Bryant, were together for 20 years before Kobe and their daughter Gianna tragically died in a helicopter crash in January, leaving behind Vanessa and the couple’s three daughters Natalia, Bianka and Capri.

Kobe and Vanessa met in the ’90s on the set of a music video and fell for each other from the jump, getting engaged just one year after they began dating. They have weathered several ups and downs throughout their marriage but always maintained their commitment to each other and their family, often sharing sweet photos of each other on social media and praising their other half.

Scroll through to learn more about the Bryant’s love story.

The first meeting

Kobe and Vanessa first met in 1999 on the set of a music video when Vanessa was working as a backup dancer and Kobe was attempting a music career. Kobe was 21 and Vanessa was 17 and they soon began dating. Their first date was at Disneyland, a place that would remain special to the couple throughout their relationship.

The engagement

In 2000, when Kobe was in his fourth year with the Lakers, confirmed that he was engaged to Vanessa, who was then 18 and a senior at Marina High School in Southern California. The Los Angeles Times reports that Vanessa began homeschooling after the engagement “because of the notoriety,” her grandfather Robert Laine said.

Down the aisle

The couple married in April 2001 at St. Edward the Confessor Catholic Church in Dana Point, California. Kobe’s parents, Joe and Pamela Bryant, did not attend the wedding as they did not approve of the relationship.

Baby no. 1

Their first child, daughter Natalia, was born in January 2003, and her arrival helped mend the relationship between Kobe and his parents.

The allegations

In the summer of 2003, Kobe was accused of rape by a 19-year-old hotel employee and the case was settled out of court after the woman, who filed a civil suit, refused to testify. Bryant admitted to a sexual encounter with the woman but claimed it was consensual.

A miscarriage

Vanessa experienced a miscarriage when pregnant with what would have been the couple’s second child, suffering an ectopic pregnancy. The Bryants’ second daughter, Gianna, was born in May 2006.

Close to splitting

In 2011, Kobe and Vanessa announced plans to separate and signed a divorce petition in December, but just over one year later, the couple announced that they were staying together.

“We are pleased to announce that we have reconciled,” Vanessa wrote on Instagram in January 2013. “Our divorce action will be dismissed. We are looking forward to our future together.”

“I am happy to say that Vanessa and I are moving on with our lives together as a family,” Kobe added on Facebook. “When the show ends and the music stops, the journey is made beautiful by having that someone to share it with. Thank you all for your support and prayers! Much luv, Mamba out.”

Baby no. 3

Daughter Bianka was born in December 2016 and daughter Capri was born in June 2019.

Mamba and Queen

Kobe and Vanessa celebrated the 20th anniversary of the day they met in November 2019 with a date at Disneyland.

“On this day 20 years ago I met my best friend, my Queen @vanessabryant I decided to take her on a date to Disneyland tonight to celebrate old school style (pre 4princesses),” Kobe wrote on Instagram. “I love you my mamacita per sempre.”

Photo Credit: Getty / Stefanie Keenan