An X account that shares archival footage has shared a video of a news report about Kobe Bryant taking Brandy to his high school prom. The event happened in 1996, just months before Bryant would be drafted into the NBA. However, at the time, many of his classmates weren't overly thrilled with the amount of attention Kobe was receiving. "It's not Kobe Bryant's prom, it's Lower Merion's prom," one attendee noted. "Yes, this is Kobe Bryant's prom. But it's also everyone's prom. This is not the Kobe Bryant prom. It's the prom of the class of 1996," added another.
Kobe, who was dating Brandy at the time, would arrive three hours after the prom began and was flanked by security. Despite this, a reporter was still able to ask Brandy how she felt about Kobe. As a result, the singer called the future NBA Hall of Famer "very cute". However, the pair would quickly break up, with Brandy going on to date her "first love", Boyz II Men lead singer Wayne Morris.
Dr. Umar Goes After Vanessa Bryant For How She Is Spending Kobe Bryant's Money
Speaking of Kobe's love life, his widow Vanessa caught some heavy flack from notorious provocateur Dr. Umar. Umar went after Bryant during a recent appearance on The Joe Budden Podcast. He accused Bryant of "not doing sh-t" to "uplift the Black community" in the ways that she has spent her late husband's money in recent years. Umar pointed to a "sports initiative" that Bryant recently started with "six predominantly white colleges". Umar's anger came as a result of Bryant not "choosing a single HBCU". He was referring to the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation. In September, the foundation announced partnerships with UConn, USC, Kentucky, Oregon, Duke, and LSU. Of note - UConn was seen as the frontrunner in the recruitment of Gigi Bryant before her death.
However, Umar was largely shouted down by the Joe Budden crew. One contributor argued that "there are plenty of angry Black wives who got a Black man's money and didn't do sh-t for the Black community". As with many of Umar's moments, it felt more like he was talking to be heard than actually having something to say.
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