Kobe's wife says NBA titles a must

Vanessa Bryant wants you to know she's not as bad a person as it sounds in a recent New York Magazine article.

She has been married to Kobe Bryant since April 2001, a few months before the Los Angeles Lakers star won his second of five NBA titles. And in case you thought championships were only good for legacies and ring collections, Vanessa says not so fast.

"I certainly would not want to be married to somebody that can't win championships," she tells the magazine in an article on NBA wives. "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."

Well, then that comes off as quite obnoxious. But hold on, Vanessa is now clarifying the statement, through TMZ, and oh yes, she plays the ol' out-of-context card.

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."

It's true, the couple was engaged in May 2000 -- a month before Bryant won his first title. And her point about the sacrifices families of professional athletes make is not to be tossed aside, but read the entire article and you'll get the sense Vanessa is not your ordinary stay-at-home mom.

Incidentally, Vanessa filed for divorce in December, but the latest indications are they have reconciled.

Here's hoping Dwight Howard and Steve Nash can help Bryant bring home trophy No. 6 -- for the sake of the family, of course.

Source: http://rssfeeds.usatoday.com/~r/UsatodaycomNba-TopStories/~3/54__sdnoWQg/1

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