Kobe & Vanessa Bryant File for Divorce After 10 Years of Marriage (PHOTOS)

Posted December 16, 2011, 7:52 pm   •   by Gabrielle Chung   •   6 comments

After a long 10 and a half years of marriage, basketball player Kobe Bryant is splitting up with wife Vanessa Bryant.

TMZ is reporting that Vanessa has filed for divorce on Friday afternoon citing "irreconcilable differences." According to the documents, Vanessa is asking for joint custody of their two daughters and also requesting spousal support (which Kobe agreed to in a separate doc). 

"We ask that in the interest of our young children and in light of the upcoming holiday season, the public respect our privacy during this most difficult time," the couple told The Insider in an official statement. 

According to TMZ, the reason for the split seems to be that Vanessa believes the basketball player has once again been unfaithful, as he famously was accused of sexually assaulted a woman in Colorado in 2003. After the deabocle she stayed by his side and he gifted his wife with a $4 million ring -- which she gets to keep.

Also, there is no prenup between the two, so Vanessa is entitled to half of Kobe's multi-million dollar empire. The two married in 2001, and have two daughter, Natalia, 8, and Giana, 5.