By subscribing, you are agreeing to Yahoo's Terms and Privacy Policy. It will also be remembered for celebrities who have lost their careers because of alleged misconduct. In the midst of all of this, there is a sports celebration fit for a king Monday. Kobe Bryant, one of the best basketball players who ever lived, will have both of his Lakers numbers retired at Staples Center in Los Angeles.
How would Kobe Bryant have fared if his legacy’s darkest chapter happened in the ‘Me Too’ era?
Kobe Bryant Removed From Film Jury Due to Alleged Rape
A helicopter flew overhead. The previous day, a young Kobe Bryant had announced his engagement to a woman he declined to identify. Word quickly leaked it was an year-old senior at the school. Vanessa Laine had been swept into the spotlight overnight.
The case never went to trial after the woman decided she didn't want to testify, and the charges were dropped. Because the whole process for me was trying to figure out how to cope with this. I wasn't going to be passive and let this thing just swallow me up.
The Kobe Bryant sexual assault case began in July when the news media reported that the sheriff's office in Eagle, Colorado , had arrested professional basketball player Kobe Bryant in connection with an investigation of a sexual assault complaint filed by a year-old hotel employee. The woman accused Bryant of raping her in his hotel room on July 1, the night before the surgery. Bryant admitted to an adulterous sexual encounter with his accuser, but denied the assault allegation.