The Incident That Changed Kobe Bryant Forever

undercoverspill

Kobe Bryant 2003 Colorado Incident almost ruined his NBA Career. A Colorado resident accused him of a crime while Kobe stayed at a Hotel. We explain the details of the 2003 case in full.  Colorado 0:00 Intro 0:12 The Beginnings 1:27 Colorado Hotel 2:08 Allegations 3:53 Eagle Police Arrest 4:55 Press Conference 6:04 Pre Trial 7:24 Case Aftermath 8:09 Outro

Transcript

00:00With the 13th pick in the 1996 NBA Draft, the Charlotte Hornets select Kobe Bryant from Lower

00:20Marion High School in Pennsylvania. Every place that he worked out nothing but raves,

00:27no one talking about any shortness or a weakness in his game.

00:32Jerry West told me today that greatness lies ahead for this young man.

00:36Kobe Bryant was one of the biggest and brightest stars in the world.

00:41He was extremely likeable and had a smile that could light up a room.

00:46However, one incident would tarnish his image forever.

00:50Let's do a deep dive and find out what actually happened.

00:53Winning three straight NBA championships, Kobe's pro basketball career was going as he always imagined.

01:03And in his personal life he would get married and have his first child.

01:08But the sports world would be shaken up with shocking news surrounding the lovable superstar very soon.

01:13In the summer of 2003, Kobe was slated to undergo knee surgery in Colorado.

01:22Prior to receiving his treatment, he would stay in a nearby hotel.

01:28On arrival Bryant was shown to his room by the staff, which included a young attractive blonde.

01:34While being shown around, mild flirting took place between the two.

01:39Bryant requested she come back later and give him a private tour.

01:44She decided to take him up on the offer and would go back to his room later that night.

01:49The following day, a sexual assault complaint was filed with the local police by the 19-year-old.

01:56A few detectives that were tasked with the report were sent to the hotel to investigate the alleged incident.

02:02The superstar was standing outside with his entourage when they arrived.

02:06While the detectives were in the parking area, debating how they would approach the situation,

02:13Kobe walked up to their car and decided to engage the officers.

02:18They all went back to his hotel room to get his side of the story regarding the claim.

02:23Initially Bryant denied any sexual intercourse had taken place with the accuser.

02:27But after being confronted with potential evidence, he finally admitted he indeed had sex with the 19-year-old woman.

02:37But Bryant claimed it was 100% unforced.

02:40The questions continued as he described the encounter which differed from the accuser's report.

02:47The interview with the police concluded after over an hour of questioning.

02:52And before leaving, a shirt with blood stains was collected from Bryant.

02:55Both the woman and Kobe were taken separately to a nearby hospital for physical exams.

03:02Afterwards, an arrest warrant was later issued for the married star, and he would fly back to Colorado to surrender.

03:10He was released rather quickly after posting a $25,000 bond.

03:15But this wasn't the end.

03:17The district attorney's office would charge Bryant for the sexual assault after reviewing the investigation.

03:23If convicted of the charges, Bryant was looking at serious prison time.

03:29The story soon broke, and the media was in a frenzy over the incident.

03:34Many news outlets speculated on the event, and what this meant for his career.

03:40The same day Kobe and his wife Vanessa sat down for a public press conference.

03:45Vanessa with what looked like to be a new diamond on her finger, she supported the star as he faced the accusations.

03:53I'm innocent.

03:59I'm innocent.

04:03No.

04:09I'll sit here in front of you guys.

04:19Furious at myself.

04:20I'm innocent.

04:23Disgusted at myself for making a mistake of adultery.

04:41I've been falsely accused of something.

04:45And now...

04:46The pre-trial soon took place.

05:04Bryant's lawyers built a case targeting the accuser's credibility.

05:08The 19-year-old apparently had multiple recent sexual partners with physical evidence supporting the claim.

05:14Questions were also raised about her mental health.

05:19And she was even accused of having ulterior motives, such as using the incident to launch a music career.

05:25The hotel workers that were questioned had conflicting interpretations of her demeanor after the alleged incident.

05:31Some of the staff said she seemed rattled when they spoke to her, while others said she seemed rather normal.

05:39The pre-trial went on for over a year, and Kobe was allowed to still play for the Lakers.

05:45He would make frequent flights to Colorado back to California.

05:48In most of his games, he ended up getting booed by the crowd.

05:52The sexual assault case was later dropped, after the accuser decided not to testify during the trial.

06:11However, she would file a separate civil lawsuit, and it would be settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.

06:19Reports were she received $2.5 million from the superstar.

06:24After the image-damaging case, we saw a transformation with Bryant.

06:29Not only did his personality change, so did his appearance.

06:33He got his first-ever tattoos, changed his jersey number, and he developed what he called a mamba mentality.

06:41The smiles and joyful Kobe was now a thing of the past.

06:46His guard went up after all that had transpired.

06:49The incident was rarely brought up in the years that followed.

06:53Focus would be on Bryant's play, his rivalries, and his on-the-court achievements.

06:59What do you think about this story?

07:01Was Kobe targeted?

07:04Or do you think there was some truth behind the allegations?

07:08Leave a comment below and let me know.

Category

Transcript

Recommended