Vanessa Bryant

Vanessa Bryant met Kobe Bryant in November 1999 while working as a background dancer on Tha Eastsidaz's music video for "G'd Up." She was 17 and still in high school, while Kobe was 20. They became engaged six months later and married on April 18, 2001, at St. Edward the Confessor Catholic Church in Dana Point, California.

The couple had four daughters: Natalia, Gianna, Bianka, and Capri. Gianna died alongside her father in the helicopter crash near Calabasas, California, on January 26, 2020. Vanessa and Kobe filed for divorce in 2011, citing irreconcilable differences, but announced in 2013 that they had called off the divorce.

Vanessa was born Vanessa Urbieta Cornejo and later used the surname Laine after her mother, Sofia Urbieta, married Stephen Laine. She has an older sister named Sophie. She completed her senior year of high school through independent study because the public attention surrounding her relationship with Kobe disrupted her schooling.

In 1999, Vanessa and her friend Rowena Ireifej attended a hip-hop concert at Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre, where they were offered work as music-video extras and backup dancers. Vanessa subsequently appeared in videos connected with artists including Krayzie Bone, Snoop Dogg, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, and Pharrell Williams.

Her background-dancing work on Tha Eastsidaz's "G'd Up" led to her meeting Kobe Bryant, who was working on a rap album at the same location. She graduated from Marina High School in 2000.

Vanessa and Kobe Bryant founded the VIVO Foundation in 2007. It was later renamed the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Foundation and provides scholarships for minority college students while supporting a global perspective among young people. The foundation has also collaborated with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and Vanessa and Kobe were founding donors of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

After Kobe and Gianna died in 2020, Vanessa renamed the Mamba Sports Foundation as the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation. The organization supports underserved young athletes, with a focus on opportunities for girls and children in poverty. In 2021, she launched the Mambacita clothing line with the female-owned brand Dannijo, directing proceeds to the foundation.

Vanessa has also worked with Baby2Baby to support women and children living in poverty. She received a philanthropy award at Baby2Baby's 10-year gala in 2021. She became president and chief executive officer of Granity Studios, Kobe's multimedia company, helping continue unfinished creative projects.

Following the helicopter crash, Vanessa sued Los Angeles County over photographs taken and shared by employees of the Sheriff's Office and Fire Department. The case proceeded to trial, and the county later settled with Vanessa and her daughters. She said she would donate the proceeds to the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation.

Vanessa has supported memorials honoring Kobe and Gianna, including two statues unveiled outside the Lakers' home arena in Los Angeles. In 2025, she released Mamba & Mambacita Forever, a book featuring more than 100 murals honoring Kobe and Gianna.