Vanessa Bryant Says Husband Kobe Bryant Must Win A Championship Every Year
Kobe Bryant faces high expectations from Lakers fans to perform well and bring home championships, but it turns out he's getting equal pressure from someone else - his wife.
In a new interview with New York Magazine, Vanessa Bryant says her husband must compensate for all his time away from the family - for workouts, games and everything that comes with being a superstar basketballer - by winning a championship every year.
"I certainly would not want to be married to somebody that can't win championships," she said. "If you're sacrificing time away from my family and myself for the benefit of winning championships, then winning a championship should happen every single year."
The comments have drawn ire from sports fans who say Vanessa knew the time commitment a NBA player must make when she married Bryant.
The Bryants' relationship has been a tumultuous one. Vanessa filed for divorce in 2011, but the couple reconciled and have appeared to enjoy a happy marriage since. They also weathered the storm of Kobe's sexual assault charges from a 19-year-old hotel employee in 2003 and the media scrutiny that followed.
Perhaps because of that negative attention, Vanessa says she doesn't like the spotlight of fame.
"I don't like the limelight," she said. "There's a lot of good you can do with fame, like creating awareness for a foundation, but a lot of negativity comes along with it."
But she does enjoy spending Bryant's multimillions on fashion, admitting to New York Magazine that she has a huge collection of designer purses, even though she's no longer all that interested in them.
"I'm not really a handbag person anymore," she said. "I've collected Birkin bags, Chanel 2.55 jumbo flap bags and the Marc Jacobs Stephen Sprouse collection for Louis Vuitton since I was a teenager. But now, as they say, everyone and their mom is buying a Birkin or a regular size 2.55 bag in black, taupe, or beige. I've been sticking to a magenta suede Proenza Schouler bag."
