Vanessa Bryant once admonished the media for trying to drive a wedge between her and Kobe Bryant. She accused the media of intentionally misconstruing her remarks to start rumors about her marriage with Kobe Bryant. Her reaction came after some of her comments to New York magazine stirred controversy and made headlines.

Kobe and Vanessa Bryant have arguably had a rocky relationship. They married young, in 2001 when Kobe was 22 years old and Vanessa was 19. The couple had their first child Natalia in 2003.

Vanessa Bryant clarified her statement

Vanessa Bryant clarified her previous statements through her representative. “I’m sad to hear that comments in my New York magazine interview are being misconstrued and taken out of context,” Bryant told E! news. “I accepted his[Kobe] marriage proposal PRIOR to him winning any of his five championships with his teammates“.

“It is not about being married to a ‘winner.’ It is about our sacrifice as a family“, she added.

In an interview, Vanessa Bryant addressed Kobe’s dedication to the game of basketball. Unfortunately, Kobe’s unwavering dedication to basketball came at the cost of spending less time with the family. Therefore, Vanessa imposed certain standards on Kobe that many people including the media deemed a bit harsh.

“I certainly would not want to be married to somebody that can’t win championships,” she explained, “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.”

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Bryant felt that the media portrayed her as opportunistic and demanding. According to Vanessa Bryant, media publications took her words way out of context. She only meant that if Kobe is sacrificing his family time for basketball, then any result short of a championship would appear a waste of time.

Kobe Bryant and Vanessa

Kobe Bryant’s basketball career, decorated with five NBA championships, has been pretty much perfect. However, not the same can be said about his marriage. In fact, Vanessa Bryant had filed for divorce in 2011. But the couple reconciled after a year.

After Kobe and Gianna’s untimely passing in 2020, Vanessa has single-handedly taken over the reins of the family. Moreover, she also looks over the charitable foundations built by Kobe and herself.

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