Ten years ago Kobe Bryant was 23 and the hottest young star in the NBA, as well as one of its most eligible bachelors. So it came as a shock when Kobe announced that he had married a woman he met while shooting a rap music video.
At the time, basketball commentators like Charles Barkley said Kobe Bryant was crazy not to have a prenuptial agreement. But young love prevailed. Now as the Vanessa Bryant divorce seems close to final, Barkley appears to be the wise man as Kobe stands to lose about $75 million in the divorce.
In December, Kobe and Vanessa announced they were splitting, and Vanessa Bryant’s mother confirmed the pair did not have a prenuptial agreement, reports the Los Angeles Times. The couple was married for ten years, and they have dealt with their fair share of controversy — most obviously, Kobe’s alleged rape of a teen in a Colorado hotel room.
The couple amazingly survived that incident, and managed to stay together for several more years before calling it splits. Without a prenuptial agreement, Vanessa Bryant now stands to receive half of Kobe’s $150 million net worth, as well as ongoing spousal and child support, under California community property law, reports the Times.
Couples in Illinois should know that this state is not a community property state, so property division upon divorce is usually not a neat 50/50 split. Instead, a judge will consider several factors like duration of marriage and economic needs to divide the property according to an equitable proportion.
No matter how property is split at divorce, the lesson from the Vanessa Bryant divorce is that couples entering marriage should consider a prenuptial agreement. By agreeing to how property should be divided, couples can avoid leaving it to a court to decide how much each should receive, or an arbitrary 50/50 split.
Related Resources:
- Find a Chicago Family Law Attorney (FindLaw)
- Vanessa Bryant gets three homes, $75 million in Kobe Bryant divorce settlement: report (New York Post)
- Divorce and Property (FindLaw)
- Newt Gingrich Open Marriage Reason for Divorce? (FindLaw’s Chicago Family Law Blog)
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