A source with knowledge of the situation told Us Weekly in March that Vanessa Bryant “is not pregnant and does not have a long-term boyfriend.” No relationship has been publicly reported since her husband, Kobe Bryant, died in a helicopter crash in January 2020, and she has not remarried.
Bryant, 44, has spent the past 15 months answering claims that say otherwise. Three of them spread far enough that she responded in public, and the men named in them have changed or gone missing entirely from one version to the next.
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The claims, and what she said about each one
The first arrived in June 2025, when AI-generated images of Bryant with Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown circulated online alongside claims she was pregnant. She replied with a meme of Rihanna raising her middle finger.
“Me protecting my peace, not pregnant & having fun all summer.”
The second came in early 2026. A post on X said she was expecting her boyfriend’s baby, without naming him, and collected more than 17,000 likes and close to 8,000 comments. No outlet ever identified the man, because there wasn’t one. That is the claim Us Weekly knocked down in March.
The third spread the widest. In May, a post said Bryant was “set to remarry after inheriting a 50% share of Kobe Bryant’s wealth, with the remaining 50% being shared among their three daughters.” It passed 2.5 million views. X added a community note explaining that Kobe’s estate is managed through a trust for his family, with no confirmed 50/50 split, according to Us Weekly’s reporting.
On 3 May, Bryant put a screenshot of the claim on her Instagram Story and wrote across it:
“Can you guys decide already…..am I pregnant for the 100th time or am I getting remarried???”
She included a reply that someone had left underneath the original post: “It’s been six years, if she wants to remarry then so what. Is she supposed to stay alone the rest of her life??”
Beyond denials like those, Bryant has not spoken publicly about dating since 2020.
Who has Vanessa Bryant been linked to?
Three names come up repeatedly. No relationship with any of them has been confirmed by anyone involved.
- Jaylen Brown. The NBA forward is named most often, because of the AI-generated images from mid-2025. Brown has never commented on the rumours, and there is no record of the two appearing together in public.
- Rob Pelinka. The Los Angeles Lakers general manager spent years as Kobe’s agent before moving into the front office. Speculation started with a birthday post Bryant shared in December 2023, then picked up again after the two appeared together at a Nike event honouring Kobe in 2025. Pelinka has been married to paediatrician Kristin Schwarz since 2005 and they have two children.
- Pau Gasol. Kobe’s former Lakers teammate has stayed close to the family since 2020 and sends flowers to Bryant and her daughters. He married Catherine McDonnell in 2019. In a birthday post this July, Bryant called him “uncle Pau” and tagged the photo #hermano and #family.
All three men worked with Kobe. Videos on YouTube and TikTok have paired Bryant with other NBA players, including Kevin Durant, though no established outlet has ever reported any of it.
Where the images come from
The Jaylen Brown rumour did not start with a photographer. It started with pictures that were generated, showing two people who have never been photographed together by anyone.
The May claim did not need an image at all. A sentence about an inheritance and a percentage was enough to move it past 2.5 million views, and the community note correcting the percentage did not stop it from circulating.
What her year has looked like
Bryant has four daughters with Kobe. Gianna died in the same crash at the age of 13. Natalia is 23, Bianka is nine and Capri turned seven in June.
In April, Bryant marked 25 years since their wedding. On 1 May she posted a tribute to Gianna on what would have been her 20th birthday. The family spent part of the summer in Rome and at Versailles.
Her grandmother, Antonia, died in July. In August she ran the 2026 Mamba Invitational, then posted a photo of Kobe on what would have been his 48th birthday. David Beckham, Kris Jenner, Gabrielle Union and Michael Phelps all left comments, as People reported.
She also runs the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation, named after Kobe and Gianna. In February she opened the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Family Court at Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach, where all four of her daughters were born. “Hoag Hospital will always hold a special place in my heart having delivered our four daughters there,” she wrote at the time.
The people who show up in her posts are her daughters, her sister Sophie, and friends including Ciara, the singer Monica and Candace Parker.
Ciara and Russell Wilson announced on 6 September that they are expecting their fifth child. Two days later, Bryant left a comment under the announcement: “Love you guys! Xo.”
