It’s nearly been four years since the passing of Kobe Bryant. January 26, 2020, was a devastating day for the Los Angeles Lakers legend’s family, especially his wife, Vanessa Bryant. However, as time has passed, the Bryant family, now headed by Vanessa, has tried to restore normalcy in their lives.
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As it turns out, Vanessa has never dated anyone since the passing of the love of her life. Alongside Kobe, the unfortunate incident also took away one of her daughters Gianna from her in 2020. Following that, she has been raising all three of her daughters, Natalia, Bianka, and Capri, on her own as a single parent.
To this day, she has continued to celebrate her love for the 5x NBA champion. In April last year, the 41-year-old publicly shared a message for the 18x All-Star on the day of their supposed 22nd marriage anniversary. With a throwback picture from their trip to Europe, she wrote, “Happy anniversary baby. I love you Kobe Bryant”.
Vanessa has continued to contribute to the betterment of the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation to honour Kobe and Gianna. Towards the end of the previous year, she made active efforts on Instagram to promote the organization’s merchandise. Posing with Natalia, she further mentioned, “From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for all your support in furthering Kobe and Gianna’s legacy”.
Alongside that, the philanthropist has endorsed Nike’s sustained partnership with the 6ft 6″ iconic guard on several occasions. In December 2023, she promoted the company’s ‘That’s Mamba’ campaign, around the release of Kobe 4 Protro ‘Black Mamba’. “A legacy not left up to fate, but meticulously crafted through dedication and hard work That’s Mamba,” she mentioned to honor her belated husband.
This further showcased her unshaken loyalty to her long-time partner. Despite the question marks over her trust in numerous instances, she displayed her devotion to the 2008 MVP every single time. Thus, the legacy of the Lakers enigma remains unfazed as his widow willingly continues to contribute to retaining it.
A look back at the married life of Vanessa and Kobe Bryant
The duo met on the set of a two-day video shoot as revealed in Kobe’s 2015 documentary, Kobe Bryant’s Muse. The attraction was an instant one from the NBA star’s side as he mentioned, “I would finish a take and then go to my trailer, but I’d wonder where she is the entire time”. Eventually, a teenager Vanessa gave the Lakers youngster his phone number as they later “talked for hours”.
Their personal life dynamics initially made things difficult for the couple. Vanessa was still in high school, while Kobe attempted to find a breakthrough in his career. In the end, they got married in 2001, after dating for only six months, and stayed together ever since. Sticking with each other through thick and thin, they set the benchmark high for celebrity couples.
It’s fair to say that even after Kobe’s passing, Vanessa continues to set new benchmarks. As a single parent, she has managed the expectations around her commandingly while surpassing them with time.
