“Kobe Bryant Was a Virgin”: Lakers Teammates Doubted Black Mamba’s Ability to Be With Women Before He Married Vanessa Bryant

In 1996, the LA Lakers and the NBA were introduced to Kobe Bryant. A teenager, who would take the basketball world by storm.

The young man, who would go on to be known as The Black Mamba, was an absolute monster. Obsessed with basketball, Kobe was a machine focused on becoming the best on all fronts.

With such dedication to basketball, there was a point in time when his Laker teammates had doubts about his “experience” with the ladies. But, that all changed when Kobe announced his engagement to Vanessa Bryant.

Also Read: Brian Scalabrine Unravels Insane Origin Story of ‘White Mamba’, and How Kobe Bryant Felt About it

Kobe Bryant was a virgin in his Lakers teammates’ eyes until he got engaged

By the age of 23, Kobe Bryant was the talk of the basketball world. He was obsessed with improving his game and as such made him susceptible to the flaws of his teammates. Something that made his interaction with them seem awkward.

It even got to a point, where his teammates, oblivious to the Black Mamba’s personal life wondered if a young Kobe was this awkward with women. As revealed in the book, Three-Ring Circus by Jeff Pearlman, Bryant’s teammates were convinced he was a virgin who locked himself inside his house.

That was until they found out he was engaged to be married to a “sexy dancer” named Vanessa Laine. Now better known as Vanessa Bryant.

“As far as anyone knew, he was locked inside his Pacific Palisades home, curled up with a bowl of Fritos and a Candace Bushnell novel. Some on the team wondered whether he was a virgin. Hell, if Bryant were as awkward with women as he was with teammates . . .But now, thanks to the Associated Press, came the bombshell. Not only was Bryant engaged to be married, but he was engaged to be married to an 18-year-old high school senior from Garden Grove, California, named Vanessa Urbieta Cornejo Laine. She was, word leaked out, a dancer. A sexy dancer. A sexy dancer who had appeared as an extra in a handful of music videos.”

The two got married in 2001 and had a wonderful marriage and family until Kobe’s tragic passing in 2020.

Vanessa Bryant tragically lost husband and daughter in a helicopter crash in 2020

26th January 2020 was a tough day for the world of basketball. Kobe tragically passed away alongside his daughter Giana in a helicopter crash. Devastating news, especially for his wife Vanessa Bryant, and his family.

The two loved each other dearly. His legacy, along with the memory of Giana will be carried on by Vanessa, the family, and the world till the end of time.

Also Read: Antawn Jamison, Who Made $1.3 Million Alongside Kobe Bryant, Compared Lakers Legend To Gilbert Arenas