Did Kobe Bryant's $4M diamond ring for Vanessa save their marriage after 2003 rape scandal?
Vanessa Bryant has been mourning the death of her husband Kobe Bryant and their 13-year-old daughter Gianna, who both died in a tragic helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, two weeks ago.
Having previously shared emotional notes about both of them, she broke her silence about their passing last week in an emotional tribute that included a nostalgic photo of Bryant.
"#MyBestFriend #theBestDaddy Miss you so much. #handsome #sweet #funny #silly #lovinghusband Miss you saying, 'Bourjourno Principessa/Reina' (Good morning princess, queen)," she wrote.
She also shared a video where Bryant is seen answering questions on varying topics including his favorite junk food, and one where he says his best friend is his wife.
It isn't too surprising that the couple shared such a close bond considering they had met while they were young, been married for the better part of two decades despite Kobe's parents' disapproval, shared four children, and had weathered multiple controversies.
It was them against the world, but it came oh so close to all falling apart in the summer of 2003.
It was a time when Bryant was on top of the world, just a year removed from being a key player in the Los Angeles Lakers winning three NBA championships on the bounce. His popularity was soaring, and he knew it, but with success come controversies that leave a bad taste in the mouth.
In July 2003, Bryant was charged with sexual assault, accused of forcing himself on a teenage employee of The Lodge and Spa at Cordillera, a hotel in Edwards, Colorado, in his room and raping her when he had been in town for surgery.
Bryant furiously denied these allegations and insisted that the sex had been consensual, and while the eventual criminal trial came to nothing and the civil settlement he agreed to was barely a dent in his pocket, irreparable damage had seemingly been done to his relationship with Vanessa. He openly admitted to committing adultery just seven months after Vanessa had given birth to their first child, in January 2003, and their marriage, which was still recovering from a two-year estrangement with his parents, was all but guaranteed to fall apart.
But it didn't. Just two weeks after he settled with the victim to the tune of $2.5M, Vanessa was snapped showing off a rare 8-carat purple diamond ring that was reportedly valued at $4M. It was said that Bryant had bought his wife the ring as an apology.
"I know that my husband has made a mistake — the mistake of adultery," she said in a statement at the time. "He and I will have to deal with that within our marriage, and we will do so. He is not a criminal."
Bryant also got a tattoo of his wife's name to thank her for her support and once again apologized to his wife in the press. "I sit here in front of you guys furious at myself, disgusted at myself for making the mistake of adultery," he said. "I love my wife with all my heart. She’s my backbone."