I saw this story over at D-Listed and I couldn’t resist covering it. In case you were wondering why Vanessa Bryant keeps taking Kobe back after his serial cheating, she gives more than enough reasons in a new interview with NY Magazine. It’s not just multi-million dollar jewelry, designer labels, and living the high life. Vanessa loves the power that comes with being Mrs. Kobe Bryant, and she revels in it and yet tries to front like she’s above it all. It’s really amusing how haughty and yet clueless she comes across. Here are some choice excerpts:

On how Birkin bags are passe now:
“I’m not really a handbag person anymore,” says Kobe Bryant’s wife, Vanessa. “I’ve collected Birkin bags, Chanel 2.55 jumbo flap bags, and the Marc Jacobs Stephen Sprouse collection for Louis Vuitton since I was a teenager. But now, as they say, everyone and their mom is buying a Birkin or a regular size 2.55 bag in black, taupe, or beige. I’ve been sticking to a magenta suede Proenza Schouler bag.”

On how she rarely speaks to the press
Of all the NBA wives, there are few more well-known yet less vocal than Vanessa Bryant, part of a class of female sphinxes like Huma Abedin and Silda Spitzer, her public profile shaped by the events in Room 35 of the Lodge and Spa at Cordillera. Bryant rarely speaks to the press, but as the spotlight shifts to NBA wives, she’d like to say something, though she’s wary of revealing what has been hidden. “I thought things would go away, if you don’t feed into the b.s., and no one would think about you,” says Bryant, sitting on a black horseshoe-shaped couch on the palazzo outside of her pastel Newport Coast mansion, the Pacific spread beneath her, a Pomeranian named Gucci at her feet. “Now I realize I do have to talk about certain things. Still, I don’t like the limelight. There’s a lot of good you can do with fame, like creating awareness for a foundation, but a lot of negativity comes along with it.”

On if she’s still with Kobe
“Um,” she says, “yes. We’re working on things.”

On how she works so hard and doesn’t have a nanny
“I think people imagine that I sit at home with all the time in the world to do my hair and makeup, but that’s certainly not the case,” she says. “I’m up at 6:30 in the morning with my kids. I’m taking them wherever they need to go.” She doesn’t use a nanny—“That’s the way I was raised”—and says that she has never missed a sports game or practice of her daughters, 6 and 9. This afternoon, she’s checking on the portable nebulizer her daughter uses for her asthma to take overseas. The medicines that doctors push for asthmatics make her uncomfortable, and she’s interested in starting a foundation for alternative treatments. “I’m not sure where she got asthma from, but I’m really careful,” she says. “When their dad’s over and he sprays deodorant, I ask him to go into another room. My youngest daughter has allergies to olive trees. We had twelve olive trees on this property, and after we took her to an allergist, I had them excavated.”

Claims she doesn’t hate Khloe Kardashian; is the head bitch of the basketball wives
When we start talking about the rumors that have gone around about Bryant, like that she and Khloé Kardashian have almost come to blows, she waves a hand. “Everything is false,” she says. “Khloé was at my 29th birthday. I don’t get involved in the drama. I’ve been with Kobe since I was 17, so I’ve seen plenty of players, and plenty of wives, come and go. It wouldn’t benefit me whatsoever to have an issue with any of them, whether they were a girlfriend, or a wife, a person-of-a-month, or … you know. And I think that’s why the Lakers as an organization give me the access that I have, that other wives don’t have.” She talks about the tunnel on the way to the locker room that she stands in to give Kobe a kiss after games, the one that cameras always pan to. “If you notice, I am the only one allowed in that tunnel,” says Bryant. “I don’t like standing outside and giving him a kiss in front of all the cameras. So I stand in there to get away from them. But then the cameras end up following. And if the girls are there, sometimes, that’s their kiss good night for Daddy, and when he comes home, they’re asleep.”

On how she wouldn’t be married to a non-championship winner
“I love basketball. And I know what goes on behind the scenes, so I have a different perspective on things, but still, I do. I certainly would not want to be married to somebody that can’t win championships. If you’re sacrificing time away from my family and myself for the benefit of winning championships, then winning a championship should happen every single year.”


On how Kobe wooed her when she was in high school

Bryant declines to get more personal, choosing instead to talk about how much she enjoys New York—“I looked for a place there, just for a quick vacation home for my kids, but we love staying at the Plaza”—and about the old days, when she fell in love with Kobe. They met after he saw her at a video shoot; she was only a senior in high school. “He’d come to school to get me in a black Mercedes, and flood the school with roses,” she says softly. “My curfew was 10 p.m., and he got done with practice at 2 p.m., so that’s how we’d see each other.”

[From NY Mag]

I looked up those Proenza Schouler bags and the large suede ones retail for a little under $2,000, so in this woman’s mind she’s probably being super thrifty. Also, maybe Vanessa doesn’t have a nanny because a) she doesn’t want a young woman around her husband and b) she treats staff so horribly that she can’t keep anyone around. It was much better for Vanessa’s image when she just kept her mouth shut and scowled. She pretty much confirmed here that she’s as much of a stuck up superficial gold-digger that people assumed.

This is my favorite picture of Vanessa, at the ESPYs in 2009. Credit: FameFlynet

TMZ has been covering photos of Kobe Bryant partying it up with the ladies in Barcelona prior to his Olympics gig as part of the USA basketball team. (The next match, USA vs. Tunisia, happens tonight at 5:15 EST. No offense to Tunisia, but I expect Kobe & co. to win. They beat the French team on Sunday, which had 6 NBA players.) TMZ has a photo of Kobe looking cozy with one woman, and another in which he’s shirtless and sitting on a window ledge with two other women. TMZ claims Kobe is shirtless because someone spilled a full drink on his shirt and he just had to take it off, yeah right.

Anyway I didn’t see the big deal with those photos, because I honestly forgot that Kobe had reunited with his wife Vanessa, after she filed for divorce and got half his considerable assets including all his houses. Vanessa decided to withdraw divorce papers after Kobe launched a forgiveness plea that included expensive jewelry, as is typical for him. Well Vanessa is said to be pissed off at Kobe over these photos, and not because he was hanging out shirtless with young women, but because someone took his picture doing it. Isn’t this the exact relationship dynamic that everyone said they had? Vanessa doesn’t mind if Kobe doesn’t keep it in his pants, as long as no one hears about it. Here’s more, thanks to TMZ:

Kobe Bryant’s wife has some serious questions about his judgment after seeing pics of him partying with women last week — but that didn’t stop her from flying to London to watch him play in the Olympics.

Sources close to Vanessa Bryant tell us she is “furious” and “embarrassed” over the photos — one of Kobe chatting up 2 women at an afterparty last week in Barcelona … the other showed him hanging with 2 different women in a nightclub.

But we’re told Vanessa’s anger is NOT because she thinks Kobe cheated … instead she’s mad that he put himself in situations where the photos could be taken.

As we previously reported … a source close to Kobe says someone had spilled a drink on him, and he was only briefly shirtless — while he sent for a cleaner, dryer shirt.

We’re told Vanessa had planned to go to London — and seeing the pics didn’t change her mind. She flew to London over the weekend with their 2 daughters.

We’re told Vanessa feels things have been going well with Kobe since she passed on filing final divorce docs last month.

[From TMZ]

So Kobe was partying with his teammates and there just happened to be a lot of hot young women around, and none of his teammates in sight. He just happened to be photographed giving one woman an “autograph.” He just happened to get a drink spilled on his shirt, leaving him no other option than to hang around shirtless. It’s just part of his job, right? Does Vanessa buy this, or does she buy it in exchange for a lot of very expensive, shiny things?

Vanessa was recently spotted in London, where she’s arrived to watch her husband compete. She of course also went shopping for designer goods.

Vanessa is shown with her daughters on 6-18-12 and 7-12-12. She’s shown with Kobe on 9-7-11 and 2-19-11. Credit: WENN.com

Vanessa and Kobe at the 2009 Espys. I love this photo

This story is from yesterday, but I still wanted to cover it and speculate about what’s going on in Kobe Bryant and his wife Vanessa’s relationship. The last we heard from these crazy kids, they were back together after Kobe gave Vanessa a bunch of expensive jewelry and swore up and down that he’d never cheat again. (Didn’t he do that in ’03 after the trial?) It’s been a whole four months since we’ve heard new about Kobe and Vanessa, and it looks like their divorce is off, for now. Vanessa already filed for divorce in December, but apparently there’s a clause that she has to wait six months before filing additional papers to make it a done deal. She can pull the plug at any point now, but she’s not doing it yet. It looks like she’s content to reconcile and is letting the threat of divorce loom over Kobe’s head too. Here’s more, thanks to TMZ:

Vanessa Bryant will NOT sign documents to make her divorce final … at least for now … because TMZ has learned, she and Kobe are working on a full reconciliation.

We’ve learned Kobe and Vanessa are trying to work out the issues that caused her to file for divorce back in December. They spend a lot of time together but he has not officially moved back in with her.

Under California law, Vanessa has to wait 6 months before she can file final docs making the divorce official. The 6-month mark hits this weekend, so Vanessa could end the marriage as early as Monday … but we know she won’t.

Now here’s the deal. We’re told Kobe and Vanessa have had their ups and downs since she filed for divorce … and there’s nothing stopping her from filing final divorce papers at some point in the future if things don’t work out.

One more thing. If Kobe and Vanessa end up living together … it will be in one of her 3 mansions, because he signed over all the deeds to her while they were working out divorce details.

[From TMZ]

These two have been married for 11 years, they met when Vanessa just a senior in high school and Kobe was 21. She knew he was cheating again this time around, we even heard who the other woman was. She filed for divorce, got $75 million and all three of his mansions, and now she’s got his attention back from his side pieces (as far as she knows). Being Kobe’s wife and mother to his kids is the only job she’s had (not that being a mom isn’t a full time job for normal non filthy-rich people, you know what I mean) and I’ll be damned if she’s not exceptionally good at it. Look at how she got his attention and half his stuff. Who’s the player now?

Here are Kobe and Vanessa at a Los Angeles Kings vs. Vancouver Canucks NHL playoff game on 4-15-12. Look at her bitch face! These two are also shown in 2009 and 2011 with their girls. Credit: FameFlynet and WENN.com

I just had to use these photos again, they’re from 2009

Last week we heard that Vanessa Bryant, who has filed for divorce from her husband Kobe after ten years of marriage and countless mistresses, was considering taking him back. Vanessa was seen cheering for Kobe at a Laker’s game on Valentine’s Day, and she even gave him a kiss courtside. A lot of people were hoping that the wool was finally lifted from her eyes when she filed for divorce, but these latest details make it sound like Kobe is using the same old tactics of sweet-talking and expensive gifts and it’s working. TMZ has more details about Kobe and Vanessa’s reconciliation, and it’s just as we suspected, he’s swearing up and down that he’ll never cheat on her again:

Kobe Bryant is making a full court press to save his marriage … and has sworn up and down to Vanessa he will never stray again if she takes him back.

Sources connected with the couple tell TMZ … Kobe has “aggressively” pursued Vanessa over the last three weeks, and she’s been receptive. We’re told Vanessa tends to believe Kobe, but still isn’t sure the marriage can be resurrected.

And then there’s the subject of lavish gifts. We’re told Kobe has given Vanessa a very expensive piece of jewelry. We don’t know the price, nor do we know how it compares to the $4 million ring she scored after Kobe’s infamous dalliance a few years back.

As for whether they will drop the divorce, we’re told they are working on a reconciliation. Several sources very familiar with the couple told us at the time Vanessa filed legal docs not to be surprised if the papers are withdrawn … because they both really love each other.

[From TMZ]

This lady got $75 million and three massive estates in her property settlement, which has already been hashed out. Her divorce isn’t yet finalized though, and as TMZ points out she can still withdraw it. The National Enquirer claimed a few weeks ago that Vanessa had hired private investigators to compile a huge dossier on her husband’s extracurricular activities and that she had plenty of evidence that he’s been cheating on her with about 10 women a year, totaling to over 100 during their marriage. Despite this guy’s history, she seems willing to believe that her husband is completely rehabilitated and can actually be faithful to her. I would say that’s incredibly dumb and naive, but look at how she’s getting paid. Maybe she has Kobe right where she wants him.

These photos below are from 2005. Credit: PRK / PR Photos. Other images credit Fame Pictures

Kobe and Vanessa at the 2009 ESPYs

This news came out yesterday, but it’s a slow Thursday and I still want to talk about it. Kobe Bryant and the wife he’s divorcing after 10 years, Vanessa, were seen kissing courtside at his LA Lakers basketball game on Valentine’s Day. (More photos are here.) This leads to inevitable reconciliation talk despite the fact that Vanessa has already filed for divorce and the property settlement has already been finalized. Vanessa got a whopping $75 million, basically half of Kobe’s earnings, plus all three of their massive estates, but their divorce is not finished yet and could be potentially be withdrawn. Kobe may have sweet talked her into forgiving him for his serial cheating, yet again, by not only making sure his ex would be a very wealthy woman but by resorting to his old tricks of sweet talking her and giving her very expensive gifts. Here’s more:

Another come-from-behind victory for Kobe Bryant … sucking face with the woman who has now taken all of his homes, Vanessa Bryant … and now TMZ can confirm the two are working on a reconciliation.

Vanessa showed up for the Lakers Valentine’s Day victory over the Atlanta Hawks. The two shared a kiss in the tunnel on the way into the locker room.

TMZ broke the story … Vanessa filed for divorce in December, and they have already sealed the property settlement deal in which Vanessa got all 3 Newport Beach estates.

But sources told us at the time Vanessa filed … don’t be surprised if she goes back to Bryant.

And, although Kobe and Vanessa have submitted all the necessary docs to divorce, it doesn’t become final until mid-June, so there’s plenty of time to withdraw the papers.

FYI — we’re told Kobe and Vanessa are NOT living with each other … yet.

[From TMZ]

The stuff about the expensive “take me back” gift that Kobe gave Vanessa is from TMZ TV. They remind us that Vanessa got that whopping $4 million ring after Kobe was accused of sexual assault in 2003. This time, after filing for divorce, she gets half his earnings, all their estates, and according to Basketball Wives sources quoted by TMZ, she also got “a car or a very expensive necklace” for Valentines Day. So is that enough for Vanessa and can Kobe keep it in his pants for a few months? After that they’ll probably settle into old routines and he’ll get the itch again. I’m sure that same scenario plays out with other philandering husbands whose wives put up with it for much meager perks.

Photo directly above from 2-9-11. Credit: WENN.com. Other images from 2009 credit: Fame Flynet

When the news came out that Vanessa Bryant had finally filed for divorce from basketball great Kobe Bryant after 10 years a lot of people assumed it was because she’d reached the magic number and would be entitled to half of all his earnings. It was way back in 2003 that Kobe admitted to cheating on Vanessa with a 19 year-old hotel employee who claimed it was rape. (Kobe said it was consensual.) So Vanessa knew her husband was a cheater and held on for as long as she had to in order to reach paydirt. According to the National Enquirer, prior to filing for divorce Vanessa hired a team of private investigators and made sure that she had plenty of evidence that her 6’6″ husband was stepping out on her all over the country. This was actually really smart of her.

Cheating Kobe Bryant was caught red-handed with women all over the country after his furious wife Vanessa had him tailed by an army of private investigators, who compiled a thick dossier of his affairs so he can’t squirm loose.

And with no prenuptial agreement to protect Kobe’s $300 million fortune, sources predict that Vanessa’s divorce action against the LA Lakers superstar will be a slam-dunk.

Incredly loyal Vanessa had stuck by Kobe even after he was charged with sexually assaulting a Colorado woman in 2003.

But he apparently repaid her by plunging into a string of romances, reportedly having affairs with dozens of women.

“Vanessa said Kobe’s cheating was out of control,” said the source. “She estimated that he was averaging at least 10 affairs a year with different women over the course of their marriage and puts his number of conquests at 105.

“The lies and deceit hurt, of course, but racking up these kinds of numbers is mind-blowing and left her devastated.

“And when she discovered he was still cheating during the recent NBA lockout, that was the final straw.

“Her private detectives caught him red-handed with incriminating photos…”

Whenever Kobe was caught womanizing in the past, he sweet-talked Vanessa with jewelry, cars and other expensive gifts.

“Each time he promised to reform, and each time he broke his promise,” said the source.

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, January 2, 2012]

I would bet that Vanessa actively ignored her husband’s cheating until she reached the 10 year mark. She’s not stupid, but she probably didn’t want to face reality until her plan could come to fruition. Prior to that she made sure she was suitably distracted by lots of pretty, glittery, useless things. Just like her husband. So was she truly shocked by the sheer number of other women he had on the side, or was she just gathering her evidence, making sure that she had all her ducks in a row?

Kobe and Vanessa are shown on 9/7/11 and 2/19/11. Credit: WENN.com

Don’t make me talk about sports or athletes. I’m completely out of my depth when it comes to athlete gossip and the like – I just don’t pay attention to any of it. But! I did pay attention in 2003, when Kobe Bryant was accused of rape, and I remember the press conference he gave with his wife Vanessa and I remember the purple diamond ring – the so-called “apology ring” – the one Kobe gave Vanessa two seconds after he claimed that he didn’t rape a 19-year-old hotel employee, he just had sex with her. Vanessa stuck by him them, but for a lot of people, Kobe was no longer the golden boy of basketball. So what’s going to happen now that Vanessa has filed for divorce, and it’s looking like Kobe is about to be Tiger Wood’d?

Kobe Bryant, it seems, is soon to be a free agent. The Los Angeles Lakers star’s wife of 10 years, Vanessa, filed for divorce Friday in Orange County, Calif., a source confirms to PEOPLE. Vanessa cites irreconcilable differences, and is seeking spousal support and shared custody of their two daughters, Natalia Diamante Bryant, 8, and Gianna Maria-Onore, 5.

Bryant, 33, and his soon-to-be ex-wife, 29, married in April 2001, when Bryant was just 22 and she was 18.

The couple released a statement to The Insider’s Kevin Frazier saying, “The couple say “We ask that in the interest of our young children and in light of the upcoming holiday season, the public respect our privacy during this most difficult time.”

In 2003, they weathered a public scandal after Bryant was charged with allegedly raping a 19-year-old Colorado resort employee. The charges were eventually dropped after the accuser refused to testify. The case settled out of court.

Just days after Bryant was charged, his wife was seen sporting an 8-carat purple diamond ring worth about $4 million, which many interpreted as a apologetic gesture to her.

“I sit here in front of you guys, furious at myself, disgusted at myself for making the mistake of adultery,” Bryant said in a press conference in July of that year. “And I love my wife with all my heart.”

[From People]

Apparently, Kobe doesn’t have a prenup – although I don’t think it would matter because “10 years” is the magic number in California, isn’t it? After 10 years, everything is community property and Vanessa automatically gets half? TMZ reports that Kobe has already moved out their “sprawling” Newport Coast mansion and Vanessa is staying put. For why? Why is Kobe acting guilty? Because he likely is guilty of a lot of Tiger Woods-style whorin’. TMZ also reports:

Kobe Bryant’s wife Vanessa caught the NBA star “very recently” in the latest act of infidelity, and that is why she filed for divorce … sources directly connected with the couple tell TMZ.

Our sources would not tell us how Vanessa caught Kobe, but we do know it was NOT through text messages a la Tiger Woods.

We’re told Vanessa had caught Kobe with “multiple women” over the years … but his latest affair was the straw that broke the camel’s back … and she felt she needed to finally end the marriage.

What’s ironic … is that Vanessa still loves Kobe — but she just can’t stand his infidelities anymore.

[From TMZ]

Radar is more specific – their sources claim that Kobe has been having an affair with one of Kim Kardashian’s close friends, a girl named Carla DiBello. Carla is also a producer on Keeping Up With the Kardashians too. You can read more about her here – she actually does NOT sound like “just some bimbo” and Carla and Kobe have allegedly been “close” for the past few years. So… it’s interesting.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Since I don’t follow sports and sports entourages at all, I only know who Vanessa Bryant is because of Kobe Bryant’s sexual assault case of 2003, where Kobe was accused of assaulting a 19-year-old hotel employee, and Kobe came out with Vanessa and claimed it wasn’t assault, he just cheated on his wife. Kobe later gave Vanessa a gigantic, $4 million purple diamond ring for sticking by him, et cetera. Anyway, Vanessa has been a Laker wife for a long time – they’ve been married since April 2001 (they met in 1999, when Vanessa was 17 years old). I guess Vanessa has become like the grand dame, or the Marie Antoinette, of Laker wives. Vanessa says who is worthy and who is not amongst the players wives and girlfriends. And Vanessa has declared that Khloe Kardashian is unworthy.

Khloé Kardashian is feeling unloved — not because of her husband, Lamar Odom, but because of one of his Lakers teammates’ wives.

According to an insider, Kobe Bryant’s wife, Vanessa, “hates” Khloé and her entire family, whom she sees as attention-grabbing fame-seekers. And instead of hiding her feelings, Vanessa refuses to have anything to do with the 26-year-old.

“She won’t sit anywhere near Khloé at Lakers games,” the insider reveals, adding that because of Vanessa’s dislike of her, Khloé has been shut out of the tight-knit circle the other Lakers’ wives have formed.

“At a dinner for the wives, Vanessa didn’t want to invite Khloé,” the insider shares. “She said Khloé is a ‘fake wife,’ and she didn’t want fake wives there.”

The feeling is mutual. The insider says Khloé and Vanessa have “gotten into fights” in the past. And at the Lakers’ NBA Finals game on June 17, Khloé brought Lamar’s two children, as well as her mom, Kris, and siblings Kim, Rob, Kendall and Kylie — and they all stayed far away from Vanessa.

[From In Touch Weekly]

Yes, I barely care. But it seems like this is some Seinfeld-Lady Gaga bullsh-t of one jackass calling the other jackass a donkey or whatever. Vanessa sounds like an a–hole, and we already know that Khloe is an a–hole too, but she’s also “America’s A–hole” you know? Nobody puts Khloe in the corner. Mainly because she won’t fit. I’m also wondering if there isn’t more to this? Maybe there’s some hidden backstory that would make this make sense/make me care. Like maybe Khloe f-cked Kobe? Or maybe Kobe has a thing for Armenian girls and Vanessa is pissed? Who knows?

Oh, but Kobe and Vanessa did go to Lamar and Khloe’s wedding. Here’s the photographic proof: