Cheating KOBE BRYANT was caught red-handed with women all over the country after his furious wife VANESSA had him tailed by an army of private investigators, who compiled a thick dossier of his affairs so he can’t squirm loose.
And with no prenuptial agreement to protect Kobe’s $300 million fortune, sources predict that Vanessa’s divorce action against the Los Angeles Lakers superstar will be a slam-dunk!
“Kobe’s the new king in the Cheaters Hall of Fame!” an insider told The ENQUIRER.
“He was shadowed for weeks and investigators supplied tons of names, addresses and other descriptions of illicit liaisons.
“Vanessa busted him multiple times and intends to get every dime she can!”
Gorgeous Vanessa was only 18 when she married the hoopster a little more than a decade ago, and she put up with his widely reported infidelities until finally reaching “the breaking point,” say sources.
Then she unleashed her detectives – and they came up with an astonishing mountain of evidence, according to the insider.
On Dec. 16, fed-up Vanessa slapped the 33-year-old superstar with divorce papers in Orange County, Calif., court, citing “irreconcilable differences.”
But the real reason is that Vanessa, 29, believes that the compulsive cheater tallied up as many as 105 women over the course of the marriage, say sources.
Incredibly loyal Vanessa had stuck by Kobe even after he was charged with sexually assaulting a Colorado woman in 2003.
But he apparently repaid her by plunging into a string of romances, reportedly having affairs with dozens of women.
“Vanessa said Kobe’s cheating was out of control,” said the source. “She estimated that he was averaging at least 10 affairs a year with different women over the course of their marriage and puts his number of conquests at 105.
“The lies and deceit hurt, of course, but racking up those kinds of numbers is mind-blowing and left her devastated.
“And when she discovered he was still cheating during the recent NBA lockout, that was the final straw.
“Her private detectives caught him red-handed with incriminating photos.”
One of Kobe’s alleged conquests in particular sent Vanessa over the top – a stunning 27-year-old who by some accounts had trysts with Kobe dating back to 2008.
She travels around the world with other celebrities and reportedly flaunted herself at basketball games, sitting courtside in tight dresses and smiling seductively at Kobe, according to the source.
“Kobe was eventually forced to distance himself from the woman after Vanessa read him the riot act.”
But he apparently found forbidden love elsewhere. During the NBA playoffs in 2008, Vanessa “went ballistic” over her husband’s reported hijinks with a Lakers cheerleader who was only 18 at the time.
“The cheerleader and Kobe allegedly had a torrid affair,” revealed the source.
“It was completely on the down-low, and the rumor is that intimate cell phone pictures were taken of the couple.”
Vanessa suffered yet another slap in the face just days before signing the divorce papers when she learned “Love & Basketball” star Sanaa Lathan was flirting with Kobe at a Los Angeles concert.
Whenever Kobe was caught womanizing in the past, he sweet-talked Vanessa with jewelry, cars and other expensive gifts.
“Each time he promised to reform, and each time he broke his promise,” said the source. “Ithink he probably had at least one girl in every NBA city.”
One website recently claimed that Kobe lavished gifts on a beautiful “Playboy” model while carrying on a months-long affair.
“The model has roundly denied that any such thing took place,” said the source, “but Vanessa’s not buying it.”
Meanwhile, Kobe didn’t realizethe detectives were collecting hard evidence for Vanessa and continued to pursue women during the NBA lockout that delayed the start of this season. After the labor dispute ended, Vanessa decided she could no longer continue being disrespected and humiliated and told her lawyers to file the divorce action.
“Kobe pleaded for her to stay, but she refused,” said the source. “She didn’t want to endure yet another season of deception.”
Vanessa’s lawyer, Laura Wasser – who has represented Britney Spears, Angelina Jolie, Maria Shriver and Kim Kardashian – has declined to comment.
But legal papers reveal Kobe’s wife is asking for joint custody of the couple’s two daughters, Natalia, 8, and Giana, 5.
Vanessa’s mother previously revealed the two have no prenup, setting the stage for a battle royal over Kobe’s $300 million fortune.
