Kobe and Vanessa Bryant: A Real Love Story

It is no secret that celebrity marriages are tested everyday. Their lives are often played out in front of the entire world and their words are twisted for very tabloid reader to see. So, can a couple actually survive living the fishbowl of the American media? We have seen plenty of couples fail however, there is one couple that sets the example that true love can withstand any pressure: Kobe and Vanessa Bryant.

Kobe is obviously a very well-known NBA player for the Los Angeles Lakers. His career started in 1996 when Kobe was barely 18. He is perhaps one of the most talented guards in the entire NBA.

He met his wife, Vanessa, in 1997 when she was only 17. She was working as a back-up dancer and Kobe was working an album that was never finished. They both claim to have fallen in love at first sight. They dated for six very short months before becoming engaged and they were married in 2001 when she was only 19 years old.

They lived quietly for the first few years in California. He reportedly bought her a multi-million dollar mansion, a four hundred thousand dollar custom car, and a wealth of jewelry. Things seem to be going well until 2003 when Kobe Bryant was charged with raping a nineteen-year-old girl at a hotel in Colorado. This scandal quickly became the medias favorite story and the Bryant's were hurled into the spotlight. Kobe was arrested, but eventually the charges were dropped after Kobe admitted to having what he believed was consensual sex with the woman. The woman decided not to testify against him and it was settled outside of court.

However, this admission by Kobe whipped up even bigger media frenzy for the Bryant's. Vanessa was forced to have the entire world know that her husband had cheated on her. Despite this, she stayed by Kobe and matters were settled out of court. They went back to living their quiet lifestyle and welcomed a second child in 2006.