Remembering Kobe Bryant On 6th Death Anniversary, Love Story With Wife Vanessa Began By Coincidence

The late NBA legend, Kobe Bryant and his wife Vanessa Bryant had one of the most beautiful love stories we have ever seen. According to reports, Kobe met Vanessa when she was a high school senior from Southern California. On the other hand, Kobe had already established himself in his basketball career, being a starter for the Los Angeles Lakers. They first met each other by coincidence, when Vanessa appeared in Kobe's music video as an extra. After falling deeply in love, the duo got engaged within six months. Eventually, Kobe and Vanessa tied the knot in April 2001.  

Spending nearly two decades together, the couple built a beautiful family with their four daughters – Natalia, Gianna, Bianka, and Capri. After retiring from basketball in 2016, just when Kobe thought that he would be able to spend more time with his wife and daughters, their world turned upside down. This is because on January 26, 2020, Kobe and his daughter, Gianna, tragically passed away in a helicopter crash. Today, January 26, 2026, marks the sixth death anniversary of the five-time NBA champion. As we remember his legacy, let's look back at Kobe and Vanessa Bryant's romance over the years.  

Kobe Bryant met his wife, Vanessa, for the first time on the set of his music video  

Many might not be aware, but before Kobe became one of the most renowned NBA players, he had a budding music career as a rapper. It was all thanks to this that he was able to meet his wife, Vanessa. According to the Los Angeles Times, Vanessa was often recruited to appear in hip-hop music videos in the summer of 1999. As a minor, she was only 17 years old, and her mother used to chaperone her on sets. 

Notably, Vanessa has worked as a backup dancer or extra for the MVs of artists like Snoop Dogg and Krayzie Bone. Finally, as fate would have it, in November 1999, Vanessa was recruited to appear in Kobe Bryant's music video for his debut hip-hop album. Being 21 years old at the time, Kobe instantly started falling for Vanessa. Recalling the time in his documentary, he said: 

“It was a two-day video shoot, and I was always looking for her, like I wanted to know where she was. I would finish a take and go to my trailer, but I would wonder where she was the entire time. Then I would come out of the trailer and just wanted to talk to her some more, in between takes and stuff like that.” 

Kobe Bryant and Vanessa Bryant revealed their engagement on the latter's 18th birthday  

It did not take long for Kobe and Vanessa's relationship to become serious as they began dating. According to reports, Kobe would often send Vanessa roses to her school, Marina High in Huntington Beach, CA. He would also be seen picking up his girlfriend in his black Mercedes. At the time, their relationship caused so much commotion at Vanessa's school that she was forced to finish her senior year at home. Despite everything, their relationship continued to grow stronger, and after six months of their initial meeting, Kobe got down on one knee and proposed to Vanessa.

However, it was only during her 18th birthday party, on May 5, 2000, that the young couple announced their engagement to everyone. Being completely smitten with one another, Kobe and Vanessa did not wait too long to tie the knot and got married less than a year later on April 18, 2001. Based on reports, they kept their wedding extremely private, with only 12 people attending the ceremony at St. Edward the Confessor Catholic Church in Diana Point, California. 

Kobe Bryant and Vanessa shared four daughters together  

In their years together, Kobe and Vanessa were blessed with four daughters. Almost 2 years after their wedding, the couple welcomed their first child, Natalia Diamante, on January 19, 2003. Their second child, Gianna, also known as Gigi, was born to them on May 1, 2006. Similar to her father, she had a passion for basketball and dreamt of playing in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) when she grew up. Kobe was supportive of her dreams, and after his retirement, he went on to coach Gianna's Basketball team at the Mamba Sports Academy, a training centre he had opened. It is this very centre that the father-daughter duo were headed towards when their helicopter crashed tragically in January 2020. At the time of her passing, Gianna was only thirteen years old.  

Ten years after Gianna was born, Kobe and Vanessa were blessed with their third daughter, Bianka Bella, on December 5, 2016. Their fourth daughter, Capri Kobe, was born on June 20, 2019, just six months before Kobe and his second-born passed away.  

Kobe Bryant often showered his wife with romantic gifts  

Gift-giving was Kobe Bryant's ultimate love language, especially for his wife, Vanessa. According to reports, in July 2003, the late NBA star presented Vanessa with a USD 4 million, 8-carat purple diamond ring. In a romantic gesture, Kobe also once gifted his wife the dress that ‘Carrie Bradshaw' wore in the final episode of S*x and the City. In a July 2020 Instagram post, Vanessa recalled the time by writing: 

“I found this beautiful dress Kob gifted me a long time ago. Not going to lie, I was taken back with emotion. He was SO romantic.”  

Vanessa Bryant got a tattoo in honour of her late husband, Kobe 

After Kobe's passing, Vanessa found the perfect way to memorialise her late husband. In February 2020, just a month after her tragic loss, Vanessa tattooed down a message written by Kobe on the side of her neck. It is worth noting that Venessa did not reveal the same until June of that year. Her reveal came in the form of several clips taken of the entire tattooing process, which she shared on Instagram. She captioned the post, “I wanted my boo boo's @kobebryant sweet message transferred on me.”  

What are your thoughts on Kobe Bryant and Vanessa Bryant's relationship? 

Also read: Meet Derrick Rose's Wife, Alaina Anderson, Owns Activewear Brand, Has 2 Kids With Former NBA Player

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