Key Points
Vanessa Bryant is an American philanthropist, businesswoman, model, and the widow of basketball legend Kobe Bryant. Vanessa had met Kobe Bryant for the first time towards the end of 1999 during a shoot for a music video of a rap song that Kobe was launching. She was still a high school student at that time, while Kobe Bryant was already an NBA star, making their high-profile relationship a matter of immense curiosity among the public. As a result, it led to significant disruption in Vanessa’s studies, forcing her to finish her senior year studies from home independently.
Back in 2007, Vanessa, along with her husband, Kobe Bryant, jointly founded the Kobe And Vanessa Bryant Foundation (formerly VIVO Foundation) which offers college scholarships to minority students all over the world. This charity organization has tie-ups with the non-profit organization, Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Born in May 1982, Vanessa Bryant was brought up in Los Angeles, California, and following the divorce of her parents and the subsequent remarriage of her mother, she moved to Garden Grove, and adopted the surname of her stepdad, “Laine”. In August 1999, after she and her friend Rowena Ireifej attended a hip-hop music concert at Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre, they were approached by an agency for modeling. Following that, Vanessa worked in music videos as part of the backup and extras and even appeared in videos for popular artists like Snoop Dogg and Krayzie Bone. That is how she eventually came to meet her future husband Kobe Bryant on the sets of another music video the same year.
Table Of Contents
Is Vanessa Bryant dating someone?
Vanessa and Kobe Bryant tied the knot back in 2001, and the couple have together parented four beautiful children in their marital life. However, tragedy struck in their lives on January 26th, 2020, when Kobe, along with their daughter Gigi, lost their lives in a terrible helicopter crash that took place in the city of Calabasas near downtown Los Angeles.
Following her husband and daughter’s death in the helicopter crash, there has been a significant level of curiosity among the public, as all eyes were focused on Kobe’s young and beautiful widow, Vanessa. It has been 4 years since the tragedy took place, and the world has seen how Vanessa has been looking after and raising her 3 kids as a single mom, navigating tremendous hardships. Life has been way too harsh with her in stealing her joy, but the way she has held herself together with grace and strength has been nothing short of inspiring.
As people watched her as she struggled and then picked herself up, as she restored normalcy in her life and that of her children, they were highly inquisitive about Vanessa’s dating life. In all these 4 years, people have tried finding out countless times if Bryant has let herself into the dating world or not.
Despite buzzes and rumors going on, there has been no news of Vanessa Bryant seeing any man in her life since she lost the love of her life in 2020. To date, she has been looking after her 3 children, namely, Bianka, Natalia, and Capri, on her own as a single mother, and continues to celebrate her adoration for her late husband.
Is she dating Pau Gasol?
There is no official statement or confirmation that suggests that Vanessa is currently involved with any man romantically. However, one popular rumor that keeps coming back, time and again is the suspicion that people have harbored about the relationship between Vanessa Bryant and pro-NBA star Pau Gasol, who was also her husband’s teammate.
Rumors of Vanessa and Pau being involved romantically gained significant traction after a recent event when Pau reportedly surprised Bryant with a beautiful bouquet of white roses a couple of months ago. Moreover, they have also been spotted spending time together on summer vacation, which might have triggered more waves of rumors. Though the reason behind sending her flowers is not yet known, we cannot deny that it has sparked fresh speculations about the duo dating.
Pau and Vanessa have known each other for a very long time, and as their friendship deepened, it spread beyond the basketball court. They have shared many experiences, with Pau being there for her through her journey of sorrow and healing, after the accident snatched away her husband.
Her relationship with Kobe
Vanessa and Kobe Bryant had been together for more than 20 years before the basketball legend died in January 2020. Theirs was a story of fairytale love, beginning with love at first sight followed by a whirlwind romance, which culminated in the young couple getting engaged and then married in less than a year. As their love story continued, the couple became proud parents to four lovely daughters over the years.
However, their marital bliss was often disrupted by ups and downs in their relationship, such as the allegation of sexual misconduct against Kobe Bryant in 2003. Out of her love for her husband, Vanessa had then offered rock-solid support to her husband defending him in that case of adultery.
In December 2011, Vanessa reportedly sought divorce from Kobe on grounds of irreconcilable differences, and their married life seemed to be over. But more than a year later, she called off the divorce, prompting eminent journalists to tag her as a contradictory and polarizing personality.
But what steals the spotlight is the fact that Vanessa continues to cherish the love and bonding with her husband, even 4 years after his tragic demise. Last year in November, she reminisced the day they met for the first time with a heartfelt Instagram post and picture of them, on the occasion of their 24th anniversary.
Recently, the late NBA superstar’s wife shared an emotional speech, as she was welcomed with a standing ovation, at the unveiling of Kobe Bryant’s statue at the Crypto.com sports arena in Los Angeles. Reportedly, Vanessa also worked on the design details of the statue, along with the sculptors, highlighting that all of their daughters’ names were tattooed on Kobe’s arm.
FAQs
Is Vanessa Bryant dating Pau Gasol?
No, this is just a false rumor. They are not dating.
Is Pau Gasol married?
Yes, he is happily married to Catherine McDonnell
Our aim is toaware people about health. Here we share everything about health, how you can stay fit and healthy and take preventive steps.