Vanessa Bryant

Vanessa Marie Bryant (born May 5, 1982) is an American businesswoman, philanthropist, and model.

She is the widow of American professional basketball player Kobe Bryant.

Bryant was born on May 5, 1982, in Los Angeles, California.

Her mother immigrated from Mexico.

Her parents divorced when she was a baby.

After her parents' divorce, her biological father moved to Baja California.

She has an older sister, Sophie.

Her mother was a shipping clerk at an electronics company.

In 1990, her mother married Stephen Laine, who was a middle manager at the same electronics company that she worked in.

In August 1999, Bryant and her friend Rowena Ireifej attended a hip-hop concert at the Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre.

They were approached by a company and offered work as music video extras and backup dancers.

Bryant later appeared in music videos for artists including Krayzie Bone and Snoop Dogg.

Her mother chaperoned her on the shoots.

In November 1999, Bryant met her future husband Kobe Bryant on the set of a music video for a rap song he was releasing.

She began going by Laine after the marriage and officially changed her name to Vanessa Marie Laine in 2000, despite never officially being adopted by her step-father.

Her family's home was in Garden Grove, California, and she resided with her step-grandfather Robert Laine in Huntington Beach, California.

She attended Marina High School.

She graduated from high school in 2000 with honors.

They married on April 18, 2001.

The private wedding ceremony was attended by approximately twelve people and was held at the St. Edward Roman Catholic Church in Dana Point, California.

After the marriage, she took his last name, becoming Vanessa Marie Bryant.

With her husband, she founded the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Foundation in 2007 to provide scholarships to minority college students worldwide.

Bryant leads the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation, an organization dedicated to supporting child athletes who are in need.

In 2007, Bryant and her husband founded the VIVO Foundation which was later renamed the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Foundation.

It is a charity that supports increasing a global perspective among young people.

It provides scholarships for minority college students and other youth worldwide.

The charity has collaborated with the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Bryant and her husband were founding donors of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

The interaction was captured on camera and, years later, the short clip was included in Kobe Bryant's 2015 Showtime documentary 'Muse'.

Their high-profile relationship caused disruptions at her high school, leading Bryant to complete her senior year at home as an independent study.

In 2020, following her husband and second-oldest daughter's deaths, Bryant changed the name of her husband's Mamba Sports Foundation to the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation in honor of her daughter.

It supports poor child athletes.

In May 2021, Bryant launched a Mambacita line of clothing in honor of her daughter Gianna.

The line is in partnership with a female-owned brand, Dannijo and all proceeds go towards the Mambacita Sports Foundation.

Bryant was the president and chief executive officer of Granity Studios.

Bryant worked with Baby2Baby to provide support for women and children in poverty.

At the Baby2Baby 10-year gala in November 2021, she received a philanthropy award.

Six months after meeting, Laine and Kobe Bryant were engaged.

Her engagement ring included a seven-carat diamond.

They had four children: Natalia (born January 2003), Gianna Maria-Onore ("Gigi") (May 2006 - January 2020), Bianka Bella (born December 2016), and Capri Kobe (born June 2019).