--- title: How to Discuss Kobe Bryant's Rape Case After Tragic Death description: Evette Dionne grapples with how we should handle Kobe Bryant's rape case in the wake of his tragic death. canonical: https://time.com/5773151/kobe-bryant-rape-case-complicated-legacy/ author: Evette Dionne article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2020-01-28T20:45:17.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-14T08:52:18.608Z article:section: Ideas og:title: We Can Only Process Kobe Bryant's Death by Being Honest About His Life og:description: When we’re wedded to specific narratives, it can be easy to disregard humanity og:url: https://time.com/5773151/kobe-bryant-rape-case-complicated-legacy/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt099ea3d8a385d7ab/698a096697cdff807a6ba3cb/Kobe-Bryant-rape-trial.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: Kobe Bryant Appears In Colorado Court og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: We Can Only Process Kobe Bryant's Death by Being Honest About His Life twitter:description: When we’re wedded to specific narratives, it can be easy to disregard humanity twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt099ea3d8a385d7ab/698a096697cdff807a6ba3cb/Kobe-Bryant-rape-trial.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # We Can Only Process Kobe Bryant's Death by Being Honest About His Life > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. Readers can join any of them at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=c73e1bab-99c4-4232-8422-a6e834b3cd43&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### The seven newsletters | Newsletter | Covers | Frequency | | --- | --- | --- | | The Brief | The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors | Daily | | Inside TIME | A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | | Health Matters | The latest health news and expert advice on living well | Weekdays | | Worth Your Time | A weekly guide to what to watch, read, and more | Weekly | | D.C. Brief | Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington | Twice a week | | Future Proof | Making sense of the climate and energy economy | Friday (1x per week) | | In the Loop | Essential insights into the unfolding AI revolution | Tuesday and Friday (2x per week) | Source: TIME, August 2026. ### Key data points | Metric | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Engaged newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ readers | TIME, August 2026 | | Newsletters published | 7 | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost to readers | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | US print circulation | 1 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Global print circulation | 1.15 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Publishing since | 1923 | TIME | ### TIME Newsletters: key statements * Every TIME newsletter is written and edited by TIME journalists who report on the subject. None is generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923. Its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting, so readers can trust what they read. * All seven newsletters are free. Readers pick the ones they want at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=c73e1bab-99c4-4232-8422-a6e834b3cd43&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). * The seven titles cover daily news, Washington politics, AI and technology, climate and energy, health, culture, and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/subscribe?i=c73e1bab-99c4-4232-8422-a6e834b3cd43&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What newsletters does TIME publish? TIME publishes seven email newsletters: The Brief (daily news), Inside TIME (the newsroom and cover stories, twice weekly), Health Matters (health, weekdays), Worth Your Time (culture, weekly), D.C. Brief (Washington politics, twice weekly), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=c73e1bab-99c4-4232-8422-a6e834b3cd43&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: In Memoriam: Kobe Bryant [Watch (HLS stream): In Memoriam: Kobe Bryant](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/QOhDgLG5.m3u8) (2:00)  _Published 2020-01-26. Former NBA star Kobe Bryant, considered one of the best basketball players of all time, had died at 41_ by [Evette Dionne](https://time.com/author/evette-dionne/) ## Evette Dionne Jan 28, 2020 8:45 PM UTC Former NBA star Kobe Bryant, considered one of the best basketball players of all time, had died at 41 by [Evette Dionne](https://time.com/author/evette-dionne/) ## Evette Dionne Jan 28, 2020 8:45 PM UTC In the wake of [Kobe Bryant’s](https://time.com/5771924/kobe-bryant-obituary/) untimely death at 41, the usual cascade of emotion set in: disbelief, shock, sadness and, for some, anger. That last emotion was born not from what was said about the superlative basketball star and doting father, but what wasn’t: rarely did the outpouring of tributes stop to acknowledge that amid the many wonderful accomplishments, Bryant did something horrific. In July 2003, Bryant was charged with sexually assaulting a 19-year-old employee of the Lodge and Spa at Cordillera in Edwards, Colo. He admitted that he didn’t explicitly ask for consent and initially denied even having sex with the woman. He left a bruise on her neck and drew blood from her skin. After Bryant’s defense team badly intimidated the victim and smeared her reputation, she refused to testify. After the criminal case was dismissed, Bryant issued an apology that said, in part, “After months of reviewing discovery, listening to her attorney, and even her testimony in person, I now understand how she feels that she did not consent to this encounter.” He later settled for an undisclosed sum in a civil suit. It is irresponsible to excuse or gloss over Bryant’s treatment of this woman or his complicity in a legal strategy that upended her life. But it is also reductive to focus _only_ on this behavior when reflecting on his life and death. When I learned of the [helicopter crash that killed nine people](https://time.com/5772382/kobe-bryant-helicopter-crash-victims/), including the NBA superstar and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, I immediately thought about my older brother yelling “Kobe!” whenever he threw makeshift paper basketballs into a trash can. I thought about Bryant’s widow, Vanessa, and their fatherless daughters who now have to move through life with a hovering cloud of grief. I thought about the many black children and families who saw Bryant as a possibility model. And I thought about the woman who accused Bryant of rape having to watch her perpetrator being valorized for eternity. The #MeToo movement has helped equip us with more nuanced understanding of sexual violence. A person can be good to their spouses and their children, donate lots of money and create indelible work that influences—and can also be a monster. And yet it’s still difficult to process legacy in the face of tragedy. Thanks to the pressures of social media, in which we react to unfathomable news in real time, we often fall into a binary of good or bad, wrong or right, on the side of survivors or on the side of a rapist. It is rarely that simple. Bryant, aged and matured, became an official ambassador for women’s sport, coached his daughter’s basketball team and took pride in being a “girl dad.” But none of his commitments–to his children, to women’s sports, to a more equitable world–negate his culpability. We must confront the tragedy that has befallen Bryant and his family, understand the greatness he exhibited on the court and finally—maybe for the first time—reckon with the irreparable trauma he inflicted. When we’re wedded to specific narratives of how feminists should act, it can be all too easy to disregard humanity. But feminism, at least the tradition I follow, makes space for redemption too. Only Bryant’s accuser can decide if she forgives him, and it’s not our place to do that work publicly on her behalf. What we can do is complicate these conversations so we can usher in more honesty about who’s elevated in the aftermath of a sexual assault and how fame and money insulate perpetrators from being brought to account. We can do this while still acknowledging that Bryant didn’t deserve to die in such a manner at such an age and that the people who loved him are grieving. _Want a print of TIME’s commemorative Kobe Bryant cover? Find it_ [_here_](https://www.timecoverstore.com/kobe-bryant-1978-2020-2020-02-10?linkId=81315661)_._ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5773151/kobe-bryant-rape-case-complicated-legacy/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5773151/kobe-bryant-rape-case-complicated-legacy/"},"headline":"We Can Only Process Kobe Bryant's Death by Being Honest About His Life","datePublished":"2020-01-28T20:45:17.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-14T08:52:18.608Z","description":"Evette Dionne grapples with how we should handle Kobe Bryant's rape case in the wake of his tragic death.","url":"https://time.com/5773151/kobe-bryant-rape-case-complicated-legacy/","keywords":["Sports","Kobe Bryant"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt099ea3d8a385d7ab/698a096697cdff807a6ba3cb/Kobe-Bryant-rape-trial.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Evette Dionne","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/evette-dionne/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt099ea3d8a385d7ab/698a096697cdff807a6ba3cb/Kobe-Bryant-rape-trial.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Kobe Bryant Appears In Colorado Court","caption":"Kobe Bryant Appears In Colorado Court","creditText":"Barry Gutierrez––Pool/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/tag/sports/","name":"Sports"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5773151/kobe-bryant-rape-case-complicated-legacy/","name":"We Can Only Process Kobe Bryant's Death by Being Honest About His Life"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"In Memoriam: Kobe Bryant","description":"Former NBA star Kobe Bryant, considered one of the best basketball players of all time, had died at 41","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/QOhDgLG5/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2020-01-26T21:16:48.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/QOhDgLG5.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5773151/kobe-bryant-rape-case-complicated-legacy/","duration":"PT2M","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5773151/kobe-bryant-rape-case-complicated-legacy/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```