“Wanting to Marry Vanessa”: 20 Years After Kobe Bryant’s $4,000,000 Ring Purchase, His Teammate Reveals What He Loved Most About Lakers Legend

A typical Kobe Bryant story usually involves some kind of anecdote about his unparalleled work ethic and unmatched competitiveness. And quite deservedly so. If Kobe set his mind to a goal, he accomplished it under any circumstance. However, recently, his former teammate AC Green highlighted a very different aspect of the Mamba’s character. Green spoke about the Lakers superstar in an interview with Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson, 20 years after the latter purchased a $4,000,000 ring to validate his commitment to Vanessa Bryant.

AC Green entered the league in 1985 as a Los Angeles Laker and played for the franchise for eight years. He then moved around the NBA before spending one last season with the LA franchise in 1999-2000. During that season, he got the opportunity to observe and appreciate the late great Kobe Bryant closely. He saw Kobe’s feelings for Vanessa and his determination to marry her. Kobe tied the knot a year later in 2001, much to the delight of AC Green.

AC Green speaks about his beloved Kobe Bryant moment

AC Green was in his yesteryears when he teamed up with Bryant. It also happened to be the season that gave the Black Mamba his first NBA championship. Everyone loved the intensity and the Mamba mentality that Kobe displayed on the court. However, his teammate decided to highlight Kobe’s relationship with Vanessa as his most lovable quality. Here is what Green said on Scoop B Selects:

“Kobe was… ALWAYS game mode. Game mode, game action and you loved that about him and I loved the fact that more than anything else what he and I talked about was him wanting to marry Vanessa and to me that was special because they obviously had a special relationship.”

Kobe Bryant in practice was a BEAST & the late great was also serious about marrying his sweetheart Vanessa Bryant.says AC Green on Scoop B Selects.

Full Quote:

“A BEAST! You know, people were so used to him during a game and turning on to a certain level — competitive always… https://t.co/8xIIGJwcml pic.twitter.com/BxJsZh0g3e

— 👑 Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson (@ScoopB) August 8, 2023

Of course, AC Green spoke about his beast-like intensity and competitiveness on the court and even in practice. But what impressed him the most about the young man was his love for Vanessa and his commitment to getting married. A quality that a lot of young players lack at that age.

Kobe was not like any other player. Green had conversations with him about Vanessa and realized the special bond between the two young lovers. Kobe would tie the knot in 2001 and have four beautiful daughters with Vanessa. Like everything in his career, Kobe was also a dedicated husband and father.

However, Bryant faced some grave allegations against him in 2003, and even admitted to cheating on Vanessa. A while after all the chaos subsided, Kobe bought Vanessa an 8-carat purple diamond ring, which is estimated to be roughly about $4 million. The ring reportedly mended the relationship between the couple.

Kobe did not invite his Lakers teammates to his wedding

Kobe Bryant was not the friendliest person you would encounter in your life. He was so focused on winning that everything else had to take a backseat. Things like socializing and making friends in the NBA were not part of his priorities. So when he decided to get married, none of his Lakers teammates were invited.

It would be awkward if this were to happen with any other player. However, with Bryant, it was expected. His teammates were not surprised that they did not get an invite from the superstar. In fact, they came to know about the ceremony the next day in practice.