Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant announced last week that he and his wife are splitting after 10 years of marriage. The divorce comes as little surprise to anyone who has followed Bryant's career, which was marked by at least one very public affair. Celebrity gossip outlet TMZ reports it was far from the only incident, and that his wife caught him cheating on her with multiple women over the course of their marriage.

Almost as big as the news about the divorce itself is the fact that the couple didn't sign a prenuptial agreement before they tied the knot. In an age when few of us expect celebrity marriages to go the distance, spectators may wonder what Bryant could have been thinking when he declined to sign one. Remember, however, that he was only 22 and his wife was in her late teens when they married. The rest of us may be cynical, but young love is hopelessly optimistic.

Vanessa Bryant's mother told the Los Angeles Times in 2005 that he didn't want one because "he loved her too much." The statement is somewhat ironic, considering his history of rumored infidelity. Colorado residents no doubt recall his public apology to his family in 2003 after a young hotel worker in the state accused him of rape; he insisted the sex was consensual. The sexual assault charges were dropped after his accuser declined to participate in the trial, and a settlement was reached in the civil suit that followed. Although the basketball star reportedly gave Vanessa Bryant a $4 million, 8-carat diamond "apology ring," TMZ reported that it was another in a long string of affairs that finally triggered the divorce.

Because there's no prenup, the property rights to Kobe Bryant's fortune have yet to be determined. The 33-year-old guard reportedly has a net worth of $150 million. The Bryants' home state of California is a community property state, which means Vanessa Bryant could be awarded half of that amount.

The couple will share custody of their two daughters, ages 5 and 9. A final judgment dissolving the marriage is expected sometime next year.

Source: Newsday, "Report: Kobe Bryant, wife had no prenup," Frank Lovece, Dec. 18, 2011