Kobe Bryant Shares How Talking to a Priest Helped Him through Trials

Veronica Neffinger | iBelieve Contributor | Updated: May 02, 2016

Kobe Bryant Shares How Talking to a Priest Helped Him through Trials

NBA all-star Kobe Bryant recently shared how a Catholic priest helped him turn his life around.

According to ChristianToday.com, Bryant grew up Catholic. In 2003, his life hit a low point when he was accused by a woman who said he raped her. Bryant admitted that he had sex with the woman, but denied the allegation of rape.

Because of this scandal, Bryant’s wife Vanessa filed for divorce. It seemed like Bryant’s life was spinning out of control, so he decided to go back to his childhood faith.

He went to talk to a priest who helped him regain the right perspective: "The one thing that really helped me during that process — I'm Catholic, I grew up Catholic, my kids are Catholic — was talking to a priest. It was actually kind of funny: He looks at me and says, 'Did you do it?' And I say, 'Of course not.' Then he asks, 'Do you have a good lawyer?' And I'm like, 'Uh, yeah, he's phenomenal.' So then he just said, 'Let it go. Move on. God's not going to give you anything you can't handle, and it's in his hands now. This is something you can't control. So let it go.' And that was the turning point," Bryant told GQ Magazine in an interview.

A judge later cleared Bryant of the charge.

But Bryant didn't forget the priest's advice. He and his wife even got back together and started a foundation together called the Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation to encourage young kids to develop physical and social skills through sports and charity work.

Bryant said that he hopes his legacy will be about more than his athletic ability: “My career is winding down. At the end of my career, I don't want to look back and just say, 'Well, I had a successful career because I won so many championships and scored so many points.' There's something else that you have to do with that."

Photo courtesy: Wikipedia

Publication date: May 2, 2016



Kobe Bryant Shares How Talking to a Priest Helped Him through Trials