• 22
  • January
    2012

In a previous post, we shared that star basketball player Kobe Bryant and his wife Vanessa are in the process of a divorce. Their split is definitely a high-asset divorce, with Kobe making money still as a professional athlete and also off of advertising deals.

Because Kobe does earn so much in his professional life, the public was surprised to find out that the couple never created a prenuptial agreement. The marital contract would have allowed Kobe a method of asset protection, though perhaps he didn't and still doesn't see Vanessa as someone from whom to protect his, or their, property.

Compared to other divorces, especially high-asset celebrity divorces, the Bryant divorce has remained relatively private and seemingly amicable. Some critics have suggested that Vanessa strategized the timing of this divorce in order to get more out of property division. But because the Bryants have reportedly agreed to keep the process of their divorce private, that idea is mere conjecture.

A person or a couple can have various reasons for waiting to divorce. And for many women who don't work outside of the home, financial security is no shameful motivation for strategizing the out. So far, according to sources, Vanessa has gotten three pieces of her family's real estate out of the divorce process, which together are worth an estimated $18 million.

Details regarding the rest of the community property are not available. Vanessa is entitled to half of what their state, California, considers to be marital assets. Essentially, she has the legal right to be able to live at the standard of living that she enjoyed during her marriage.

Source

The Los Angeles Times: "Kobe Bryant divorce: Wife Vanessa gets $18.8 million in property," Jan. 21, 2012