| Vanessa Bryant | |
| Other Names: | Vanessa Laine |
| Birth Date: | 5 May 1982 |
| Birth Place: | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Children: | 4; including Gianna |
Vanessa Marie Bryant (born May 5, 1982) is an American businesswoman, philanthropist, and model. She is the widow of American professional basketball player Kobe Bryant. With her husband, she founded the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Foundation in 2007 to provide scholarships to minority college students worldwide. Bryant leads the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation, an organization dedicated to supporting child athletes who are in need.
Bryant was born on May 5, 1982, in Los Angeles, California.[1] Her mother immigrated from Mexico.[2] Her parents divorced when she was a baby. After her parents' divorce, her biological father moved to Baja California. She has an older sister, Sophie.[3] Her mother was a shipping clerk at an electronics company. In 1990, her mother married Stephen Laine, who was a middle manager at the same electronics company that she worked in. She began going by Laine after the marriage and officially changed her name to Vanessa Marie Laine in 2000, despite never officially being adopted by her step-father.[4]
Her family's home was in Garden Grove, California, and she resided with her step-grandfather Robert Laine in Huntington Beach, California. She attended Marina High School.[5] [6]
In August 1999, Bryant and her friend Rowena Ireifej attended a hip-hop concert at the Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre. They were approached by a company and offered work as music video extras and backup dancers. Bryant later appeared in music videos for artists including Krayzie Bone and Snoop Dogg. Her mother chaperoned her on the shoots.[7] In November 1999, Bryant met her future husband Kobe Bryant on the set of a music video for a rap song he was releasing. The interaction was captured on camera and, years later, the short clip was included in Kobe Bryant's 2015 Showtime documentary Muse.
Their high-profile relationship caused disruptions at her high school, leading Bryant to complete her senior year at home as an independent study. She graduated from high school in 2000 with honors.
In 2007, Bryant and her husband founded the VIVO Foundation which was later renamed the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Foundation. It is a charity that supports increasing a global perspective among young people. It provides scholarships for minority college students and other youth worldwide. The charity has collaborated with the Make-A-Wish Foundation.[8]
Bryant and her husband were founding donors of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.[9]
In 2020, following the death of her husband and second-oldest daughter, Bryant changed the name of her husband's Mamba Sports Foundation to the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation in honor of her daughter.[10] It supports poor child athletes.[11] In May 2021, Bryant launched a Mambacita line of clothing in honor of her daughter Gianna. The line is in partnership with a female-owned brand, Dannijo and all proceeds go towards the Mambacita Sports Foundation.[12]
Bryant was the president and chief executive officer of Granity Studios.[13]
Bryant worked with Baby2Baby to provide support for women and children in poverty. At the Baby2Baby 10-year gala in November 2021, she received a philanthropy award.[14]
Six months after meeting, Laine and Kobe Bryant were engaged. Her engagement ring included a seven-carat diamond.[15] They married on April 18, 2001. The private wedding ceremony was attended by approximately twelve people and was held at the St. Edward Roman Catholic Church in Dana Point, California.[16] [17] After the marriage, she took his last name, becoming Vanessa Marie Bryant.[18]
They had four children: Natalia Diamante (born January 2003), Gianna "Gigi" Maria-Onore (May 2006 - January 2020),[19] Bianka Bella (born December 2016),[20] [21] [22] and Capri Kobe (born June 2019).[23] [24]
During the 2003 sexual assault case against her husband, Bryant defended him, stating: "I know my husband made the mistake of adultery".[25] A few days later, she received a $4 million eight-carat purple diamond ring leading to speculation that this was a gift for her support. According to David K. Wiggins, a professor of sport studies, her husband had commissioned the ring two months prior.[26] Kobe Bryant later said that he felt guilt about a miscarriage his wife had suffered in early 2005, attributing it to the rape allegations.[27]
Bryant had a strong influence on her husband. She was the focus of speculation by tabloids. In 2004, Bryant accused Lakers player Karl Malone of acting inappropriately towards her. Malone later apologized while denying making a pass at her. Sports Illustrated published a story titled Vanessa-gate about "wife-poaching" by Malone. Other columnists described Bryant as the new Yoko Ono, and she was the subject of a Saturday Night Live parody. She was recognized by supporters for challenging the National Basketball Association culture of tolerance of tomcatting.
In 2009, Bryant's housekeeper Maria Jimenez sued the Bryants. Jimenez alleged that Vanessa Bryant verbally abused and humiliated her while she worked at their Newport Coast home from September 2007 to March 2008. The Bryants denied those allegations and counter-sued Jimenez, alleging that she breached a confidentiality agreement. Bryant settled the suit in 2010, paying an undisclosed amount to Jimenez.[28]
In December 2011, Vanessa filed for divorce from Kobe, citing irreconcilable differences and sparked speculation about the possible distribution of assets in a divorce.[29] Thirteen months later, the Bryants called off the divorce.[30] In April 2016, David Wharton and Nathan Fenno of the Los Angeles Times described Bryant as a contradictory and "at times polarizing public figure".
On January 26, 2020, Bryant's husband and their daughter Gigi died in the Calabasas helicopter crash. She sued Los Angeles County for invasion of privacy and negligence after employees of the Sheriff's Office and Fire Department took photos of the victims of the crash and improperly shared them.[31] The case went to trial and, in August 2022, she was awarded $16 million in damages.[32] In February 2023, the county settled the case with Bryant and her daughters, with the county agreeing to pay $28.85 million (including the approximate $15 million awarded to her in the previous year and additional funds to settle potential claims from her daughters).[33] Vanessa Bryant said she would donate the lawsuit proceeds to the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation.[34]