Apparently, it's a good thing that Kobe Bryant didn't go through with his planned divorce from his wife Vanessa--it would have cost him an arm and a leg.
Bryant, whose reconciliation with his wife was announced on social media last week, have been certainly looking more like a loving couple again, having been spotted together last week in Los Angeles during a fundraising event that included luminaries such as President Bill Clinton, Bon Jovi band member Richie Sambora, Maroon 5 frontman Adam Lambert and others.
However, it could have easily gone the other way-which would have meant that Bryant would have been due to pay Vanessa millions.
California attorney Andrew L. Botros says that if the couple had gone through with their divorce plans, Bryant would have had to pay up in child support for the couple's two daughters and spousal support, the latter of which would have been indefinite.
Between the estimates of 53.2 million annually that Kobe takes home, according to the figures from Forbes that Botros used, that would have put the Lakers superstar on the hook for $365 million in child support and roughly $1 million in spousal support under California guidelines.
"Under California law, every penny Kobe earned from basketball or endorsements from the date of marriage to the date of separation is considered community property," Botros said. "It's half Kobe's and half Vanessa's. That also applies to every mansion, car, yacht, or private jet that the either party purchased with community money."
Other figures suggested that Kobe would have had to pay Vanessa approximately $75 million in alimony along with three houses that the couple own, according to a New York Post report from last year.