Kobe Bryant Prenup: Lakers Star's Empire Will Take Major Hit in Divorce

Kobe Bryant could see his empire crumble as a result of his divorce from his wife Vanessa because there was no prenup involved in the marriage, meaning the Los Angeles Lakers star could lose millions of dollars.

Bryant's $53 million in earnings this season makes him the second-highest paid athlete of the year, and his total worth is about $300 million according to Forbes. According to TMZ, Bryant's wife could take half of his worth.

Not having a prenup in his marriage will really cost Kobe, who has no one to blame but himself for the mess he is in.

TMZ has also reported that Vanessa believes Bryant has been unfaithful again following the 2003 incident in Colorado when the Lakers star was charged with sexual assault.

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Sources connected with the couple tell TMZ ... Vanessa -- who stuck by Kobe after he was charged with sexually assaulting a Colorado woman in 2003 -- decided to end the marriage because she believes Kobe has been unfaithful ... again.

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Will Bryant lose sponsorships and endorsements in the matter that golf superstar Tiger Woods did following his divorce after he cheated on his wife?

Maybe, probably not to the same extent, but there will certainly be some companies who will wonder if Kobe is the right man to endorse their products.

Kobe's image will take a major hit following this divorce, and he will not be a role model that parents want their kids looking up to.

While Bryant's ability to make money off the court could remain pretty strong because of his relationship with Nike and other major companies, there is little doubt he will be affected by this divorce quite negatively from a financial perspective.

If his wife does get half of his fortune, that will still be over $100 million, and even to someone as wealthy as Bryant, that is a ton of money.

Bryant still has the ability to make much more money as an NBA player, and his current deal with the Lakers will pay him $79 million over the next three seasons.

However, the fact that Kobe's marriage did not have a prenup in it will result in the NBA icon's empire to take a major hit, and he will never be looked at the same way in the eyes of the public.