Vanessa Marie Bryant is an American model of Mexican descent. She is the wife of late Kobe Bryant, the great NBA star. She was still a senior at her high school when Kobe, already an established star with the Los Angeles Lakers, announced their engagement. Thrust into the spotlight overnight, she gradually developed herself to be more than a mere side-note to her husband. As for her marriage, it over the years withstood a sexual assault charge against Kobe and a filing for divorce which was later dropped. Inevitably, she became the subject of contradictory sentiments in the public sphere right alongside her husband, admired at one instant, and disdained at the next. As active members of the community, she along with her late husband, supported several charitable causes, including their own ‘The Kobe & Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation,’ an organization dedicated to improving the lives of youth and families in need, both domestically and globally.
