Kobe Bryant On 2004 Colorado Incident: ‘I Failed Miserably’

Portland Trail Blazers v Los Angeles Lakers

Back in 2004, Kobe Bryant went through an entire rough time in his life after being accused of sexual assault in Vail, Colorado. Bryant’s legal troubles had a severe ripple effect with the NBA superstar losing sponsors and seeing his public reputation tarnished.

— Think You Know Everything About Kobe Bryant? Take The Ultimate Kobe Quiz! —

Along with the impact it had on Kobe’s career and status with the Los Angeles Lakers, Bryant was most concerned about his family and the relationship with his wife, Vanessa. Kobe said the following about incident back in 2004 and how it altered his thinking moving forward in his documentary, MUSE via Sam Amick of USA Today:

I lost sight of what is the most important thing, and that’s family,” Bryant, who long ago acknowledged to having a consensual encounter with his accuser but always said he was innocent of her allegations, says in the documentary. “It’s the man’s job to protect your family. It’s the man’s job to look out for your family. … It’s the man’s job to always be the anchor of stability for your family. From that aspect, I failed miserably.”

Everything began to fall apart for Kobe in 2004 in more ways than one. Bryant’s sexual assault case was his biggest concern for obvious reasons, but it went much deeper for the Lakers star.

After losing to the Detroit Pistons in the 2004 NBA Finals, Shaquille O’Neal was traded to the Miami Heat and head coach Phil Jackson chose not to return to Los Angeles. So along with Bryant’s off-the-court issues threatening to jeopardize his future, the Lakers were no longer the dominant force in the NBA.

Fortunately, Bryant’s case was dropped and that ugly part of his life was behind him. Once his problems off the court were no longer an issue, Bryant rebounded quickly by becoming the face of the Lakers franchise. Kobe began to dominate the competition with some incredible individual performances, including his historic 81-point game in 2006.

[divide]

Lakers Ronnie Price Out For Season


Please enable Javascript to watch this video

You May Also Like

2023-24 Los Angeles Lakers Player Review: Austin Reaves

Austin Reaves burst onto the scene as an undrafted rookie during the 2021-22 NBA season and quickly carved out an important role…

Lakers News: Larry Nance Jr. Recalls Learning From Kobe Bryant, LeBron James

Since LeBron James entered the NBA in 2003, either he or Los Angeles Lakers icon Kobe Bryant has been at the…

Lakers VP Jim Buss: ‘I’m 100 Percent Behind Mike Brown’

After a winless preseason (0-8) and three straight losses to start the…

Byron Scott: Lakers ‘Don’t Trust Each Other On The Court’

Ever since the Los Angeles Lakers were dominated by the Golden State…