Vanessa Bryant, wife of five-time NBA champion Kobe, has faced criticism over her comments in “The Belles of B-Ball,” a profile of basketball wives that ran in this week’s New York Fashion issue. The following quote has been subject to a particularly vehement backlash:
I certainly would not want to be married to somebody that can’t win championships. 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.
Today, she released a statement defending her comments to TMZ:
I’m sad to hear that comments in my New York Magazine interview are being misconstrued and taken out of context. I have and will continue to support my husband’s dreams … I have been with Kobe for 13 years. I accepted his marriage proposal PRIOR to him winning any of his 5 championships with his teammates.
For anyone to think otherwise is wrong. It is not about being married to a ‘winner’ it is about our sacrifice as a family.
The couple got engaged in May of 2000, one month before he won his first championship that June. Vanessa filed for divorce last December, but the couple has since reconciled and is currently “working on things.”
Related: The Belles of B-Ball: How NBA Players’ Wives Vie for Fashion Dominance