Vanessa Laine Bryant Height, Weight, Age, Body Statistics

Vanessa Laine Bryant is an American model and businesswoman who also happens to be the former wife of the famous former NBA player, Kobe Bryant who died in a helicopter crash in January 2020. She kick-started her career in her early years and appeared in various music videos. She was fairly successful as a model and also attended the 2000 Teen Choice Awards.

Born Name

Vanessa Cornejo Urbieta

Nick Name

Ness

Sun Sign

Taurus

Born Place

Los Angeles, California, U.S.

Residence

Los Angeles, California, U.S.

Nationality

Education

Vanessa went to the St. Boniface Parochial School, graduating in 1996. Then, she graduated with honors from Marina High School in 2000.

Occupation

Model

Family

• Mother – Sofia Urbieta
• Siblings – Sophie (Older Sister)
• Others – Stephen Laine (Step-Father)

Manager

She self-manages her career.

Build

Voluptuous

Height

5 ft 5 in or 165 cm

Weight

61 kg or 134.5 lbs

Boyfriend / Spouse

Vanessa has dated –

1. Kobe Bryant (1999-2020) – Vanessa met the retired NBA player, Kobe Bryant, in 1999 while she was working on a music video for Tha Eastsidaz, a trio made up of Snoop Dogg, Tray Deee, and Goldie Loc. She was just a senior at Marina High School when the couple started dating. Kobe and Vanessa got married on April 18, 2001, at St. Edward Roman Catholic Church, in Dana Point, California. Though she filed for a divorce on December 16, 2011, citing irreconcilable differences, after a relationship of 10 years, the couple called off the divorce on January 11, 2013. They have 3 daughters – Natalia Diamante (b. 2003), Gianna Maria-Onore (b. 2006 and d. January 2020), Bianka Bella (b. 2016), and Capri Kobe Bryant (b. June 2019). Kobe died in a helicopter crash on January 26, 2020, along with their daughter Gianna.
2. Victor Ortiz – Vanessa’s name has been linked with American boxer and actor, Victor Ortiz in the past. It was a rumor.

Race / Ethnicity

Hispanic

Vanessa is of Mexican descent. She is not Irish as claimed by some of the websites.

Hair Color

Black

Eye Color

Dark Brown

Sexual Orientation

Straight

Distinctive Features

• Broad smile
• Curvy figure

Best Known For

Her modeling career and working in the art department of feature films like Man on Fire and Colombiana.

First TV Show

Vanessa made her TV show debut in the episode The Wedding of Keeping Up with the Kardashians in 2009.

Vanessa Laine Bryant Facts

1. Her parents got divorced when Vanessa was only 3 years old.
2. Her mother managed two jobs in order to raise her two daughters as a single parent.
3. Even though her stepfather never adopted her, Vanessa took his last name, Laine, and changed her birth name to Vanessa Laine in 2000.
4. Vanessa was a member of the varsity cheerleading squad at St. Boniface Parochial School.
5. She graduated high school via home program due to all the buzz created by her relationship with Kobe Bryant.
6. She was only 18 when she married Kobe.
7. Kobe’s parents didn’t attend their wedding because they did not accept Vanessa.
8. Vanessa and Kobe helped Vanessa’s mother and stepfather with more than $500,000 when they filed for bankruptcy in 2000.
9. She suffered a miscarriage in the spring of 2000 due to an ectopic pregnancy, a condition in which the fertilized egg attaches itself to a place other than inside the uterus.
10. She stood by Kobe’s side when he was accused of raping a hotel employee in 2003. Even when Kobe accepted cheating on her, she stated that they would deal with the issue “within their marriage”.
11. Kobe once gifted Vanessa an iconic blue dress that Rachel McAdams wore in The Notebook.
12. Vanessa was the 10th most-searched person of 2020 on Google in the United States.
13. In 2020, Vanessa filed a case against Los Angeles County after emergency personnel reportedly shared graphic images from the crash scene which took the life of Kobe and their daughter, Gianna. In August 2022, it was revealed that Vanessa was awarded $16 million in damages. It was later announced that she had decided to donate the money to the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation.
14. In December 2020, Vanessa’s mother, Sofia Laine, filed a lawsuit against her claiming that she was a was long-time personal assistant to Vanessa and the late Kobe Bryant and was never paid for her services. In August 2021, it was revealed that Vanessa had settled the lawsuit with her mother.
15. In March 2021, she got the word “Mambacita” tattooed on her forearm as a tribute to Gianna.
16. Vanessa and her family had a dog named Crucio, who passed away in February 2022.
17. In 2023, Vanessa was awarded approx $29 million by Los Angeles County to settle the lawsuit over allegations that the police officials shared the helicopter crash photos of Kobe.

Featured Image by Kobe Bryant / Instagram