At one point in time, Kobe Bryant was the most eligible bachelor in the city of Los Angeles. Before meeting the love of his life Vanessa Bryant, everyone wanted to be with the Black Mamba. But, Kobe was smart and knew about the threat of gold diggers. So, he thought long and hard about he could protect his future $600 million fortune.
Kobe met Vanessa Bryant on the set of a music video. The two started dating shortly after, and six months into their relationship were engaged to be married. Things moved really quickly between them, but the five-time NBA Champion took his time before he dove into the relationship, was single for three years, and was rumored to have had countless relationships.
Kobe Bryant pondered about the threat of gold diggers before committing to Vanessa Bryant
Prior to meeting the love of his life, Kobe Bryant was the talk of the town. He had been single ever since he joined the NBA in 1996, and being a good-looking and successful superstar meant that he was quite desirable. However, Kobe was also painfully aware of the problems that presented.
Bryant was aware that Los Angeles was a city filled with “gold diggers”. And, with him being the most eligible bachelor in the city, a lot of them would present themselves to him. However, as he explained in an interview, it wasn’t something he could obsess over. All he could do was put his faith in God and hope he met the right person for him.
“Well, you really can’t differentiate. It’s very very difficult to tell, with what I’ve learned throughout the years. So what?…just roll the dice. I think God has a plan for us all, and if she’s the one that’s meant to be, then that’s what’s going to happen. I think it’s just going to be a gut feeling that I’ll have. I’ll just know that she’s the one.”
By 1999, he met Vanessa Urbieta Cejundo, whom he married in 2001. Their marriage so its fair share of highs and lows, and had four children together. They were married for 19 years until Kobe’s unfortunate passing in 2020. And, while they did truly love each other, not everyone approved of their relationship.
In particular, the Black Mamba’s parents were not big fans of their relationship. In fact, they even accused Vanessa of being the very thing Kobe was trying to avoid, a “gold digger”.
Kobe’s parents did not approve of his relationship with Vanessa Bryant
Kobe and Vanessa Bryant were madly in love by the time they decided to get married. However, there were a few people who weren’t too pleased about this. The Black Mamba’s parents, Joe and Pamela Bryant did not approve of Vanessa, as they wanted their son to marry an African-American woman.
That, plus the fact that they believed she was a “gold digger” caused quite the split between themselves and Kobe. They didn’t even attend his wedding.
It’s sad that both Joe and Pamela would go to such extremes and avoid their own son’s wedding. Granted, years later they would resolve these issues but, it is still hard to believe.
