A representative for couple Kobe Bryant, 33, and his wife Vanessa, 29, have filed for divorce after more than 10 years of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences. Vanessa Bryant signed the papers on December 1 while Kobe Bryant signed his response on December 7 and it was filed Friday, according to the documents.
According to a statement from a representative for the couple, the Bryants have resolved all issues incident to their divorce privately with the assistance of counsel and a judgment dissolving their marital status will be entered in 2012. In the filing, Vanessa Bryant asked for joint legal and physical custody of the couple’s two daughters, Natalia, 8, and Gianna, 5. Kobe Bryant asked for the same in his response. Vanessa Bryant also requested spousal support. The Bryant’s ask that in the interest of their young children and in light of the upcoming holiday season that the public respect their privacy during those difficult times. TMZ reported that the couple has no prenup, which means Vanessa is entitled to half his net worth. Intrepid CNBC sports business reporter estimated Bryant to be worth $360 million, so most probably this could be a lengthy, complicated process.
Kobe Bryant has helped lead the Lakers to five National Basketball Association championships, has been named a most valuable player, been the league’s top scorer and played on numerous all-star teams. He was drafted into the NBA directly from high school in 1996 at the age of 17 and in his initial years enjoyed a stellar reputation with fans as a highly skilled player. On Friday afternoon, it has been noted that Kobe Bryant’s basketball career is in a state of flux with the Clippers surging to win over fans in Los Angeles.
Bryant met his future wife in 1999 on a music video shoot when Vanessa Laine was 18 years old. Six months later, she and the then-21-year-old Bryant became engaged. They married on April 18, 2001. The Bryants have been through trying times together. Vanessa Bryant appeared at a news conference with her husband when he was charged with sexually assaulting a 19-year-old woman who worked at the exclusive Lodge & Spa at Cordillera near Vail, Colo., in 2003. She held his hand and stroked it tenderly as the NBA star admitted he was guilty of adultery – but nothing else. Earlier she had issued her own statement to the media, vowing to stand by her husband. She said in a statement at the time that she knows that her husband has made a mistake – the mistake of adultery adding that she and her husband will have to deal with that within their marriage and they will do so. She claimed that her husband is not a criminal.
A year later, prosecutors dropped the criminal charge against Kobe Bryant because the woman did not want to go ahead with the trial. Last year, Kobe and Vanessa Bryant settled litigation with a former maid who accused the NBA star’s wife of harassment. The Bryants countersued Maria Jimenez for violating a confidential agreement by talking to reporters about the family.