[Timoteo]

(12-17-2011 12:12 AM)Hencredible Casanova Wrote:  

(12-17-2011 12:06 AM)Timoteo Wrote:  

If you remember way back when, Kobe met Vanessa at a music video shoot when she was still in high school. His parents weren't even at the wedding because he basically told them to fuck off (they had the audacity to want to meet the girl he was marrying). He wouldn't listen to anyone when they told him to at least get a pre-nup. Kobe's the ultimate lone wolf. I knew she wasn't going to leave him after the Colorado mess, because she wasn't vested enough. It also put her in the power position in the marriage. Him buying her the purple diamond "I'm sorry" ring, and getting the "my queen" tattoo were super beta moves for a supposedly super alpha man. But she had him over a barrel. The 10 year mark is a major milestone for chicks married to high-earning men when there's a pre-nup, so without one, she's golden. Supposedly Kobe STILL didn't keep his dick in his pants, and she's in a position where she doesn't have to swallow hard a second time.

If he was smart with what he earned to this point, the divorce won't kill him. The fucked up part is he's at the end of his career - he doesn't have another long-term, max money contract coming. This is generally what athlete's wives do - they hang in throughout the career when the checks are coming in strong. When the end is near, or shortly after he retires, they cash out and take at least half of whatever is left. If he's not in a position to walk into a high-paying media gig or have a business set up, he ends up dead broke in a few years because there's still child support and his own living expenses (which will still be high, because it's hard to give up that lifestyle). My guess is this won't happen to Kobe, but he NEVER should have married her, or at least not at the age he did.

He's an idiot, man. I have no respect for him letting this happen.

Kobe's incredible drive and work ethic are unquestioned, but as a man I've always found him coming up short. The same qualities that made him a great athlete made him a miserable human being. MJ was a horrible teammate at times, but he at least made the effort to be a part of the team. Throughout his career, Kobe rarely did that, and didn't make an effort until they tore down the team and rebuilt it around him. He felt leadership was purely about force of will and being the best player. There's more to it than that. At times he was uncoachable, and Phil Jackson is probably the best manager of great players/egos in all of sport.