Kobe Bryant and wife Vanessa used social media to announce that they will not end their nearly 12-year marriage, news that was not exactly shocking considering the couple’s recent collaborative charity work and her presence at Laker games.
The Lakers’ superstar, who destroyed the Dallas Mavericks with 38 points in an important road win Sunday, communicated the reconciliation on Facebook.
“I am happy to say that Vanessa and I are moving on with our lives together as a family. When the show ends and the music stops, the journey is made beautiful by having that someone to share it with. Thank you all for your support and prayers! Much luv, Mamba out,” his post said.
Meanwhile, Vanessa Bryant posted on Instagram: “We are pleased to announce that we have reconciled. Our divorce action will be dismissed. We are looking forward to our future together. Kobe & Vanessa.”
This news comes at the same time as a Radar Online report that Vanessa Bryant sold one of the three Los Angeles-area mansions granted her during the initial divorce proceedings. The 6,000-square-foot home sold for roughly $3.22 million when it closed in mid-January. The couple paid $1 million for it in 2003. They purchased the other homes for $4 million and $9.4 million.
Vanessa Bryant filed for divorce almost 13 months ago, citing irreconcilable differences. It was ruled she would receive the three homes and $75 million if the divorce had gone through.
But they have been seen together for months, and they worked together via the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation. They walked together during a fundraiser for the homeless in Los Angeles in October and are hosting a dinner with the Clinton Foundation Monday.
Vanessa Bryant stayed in the marriage in 2003 when the future Hall of Fame basketball star was charged with sexual assault in Colorado. The charges were eventually dropped when the woman did not want to move forward with a trial.
The two met in 1999 on the set of a music video when Vanessa was 18. They married six months later, on April 18, 2001, when Kobe was 21. They have two daughters — Natalia, 10, and Gianna, 6.
