Kevork Djansezian/Getty ImagesUPDATE: Vanessa's rep has spoken out in defense of the superstar wife, clarifying her comments to E! News: "I'm sad to hear that comments in my New York magazine interview are being misconstrued and taken out of context," Bryant said. "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 five 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."
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You know that old saying about being your own harshest critic? Turns out, that doesn't hold true in Kobe Bryant's case.
That's because, by the sounds of it, it's really his on-again wife Vanessa Bryant who set the somewhat impossibly high standard for the NBA superstar. Which is, quite simply, win.
If you like it, put a ring on it, indeed. A championship ring, to be specific.
"I certainly would not want to be married to somebody that can't win championships," Vanessa told New York magazine. "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."
By that standard, every actor who films on location should be winning Oscars, but unfortunately it doesn't always (as in, rarely) work out that way.
As it happens, Kobe has delivered quite a bit on that front, having won five NBA championships. (On the flipside, that means he's had 11 ringless seasons. Don't tell Vanessa.)
The couple split late last year, with Vanessa filing for divorce in December after 10 years of marriage, however, they have since reconciled.
"Um, yes," she told the mag. "We're working on things." Off and on court, we assume.