Los Angeles ( CNN ) -- The wife of Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant filed for divorce Friday , eight years after she famously stuck by him after he admitted having sex with a woman at a Colorado hotel , a court spokeswoman said . Vanessa Bryant cited `` irreconcilable differences '' as her reason for filing the divorce petition Friday , Orange County , California , Superior Court spokeswoman Gwen Vieau told CNN . The two have been married for 10 Â½ years . The couple have two daughters together , ages 8 and 5 . Calls made Friday night to Kobe Bryant 's agent were not immediately returned . Their marriage came into the public spotlight after a 19-year-old desk clerk at a Vail-area resort hotel told police that Kobe Bryant had sexually assaulted her on June 30 , 2003 . Eagle County District Attorney Mark Hurlbert filed charges against Bryant about three weeks later , on July 18 . Later that evening , Vanessa Bryant sat by her husband 's side as he publicly apologized to her while admitting that he 'd had sex with the 19-year-old , an encounter he said was consensual . Turning to his wife , Bryant said , `` You 're a piece of my heart . You 're the air I breathe . And you 're the strongest person I know . And I 'm so sorry for having to put you through this , for having to put our family through this . '' Criminal charges against Bryant were dismissed in September 2004 . He settled a federal lawsuit with his accuser in March 2005 , days before he was scheduled to be deposed in the case , his attorney Pamela Mackey said at the time . His legal woes cost him some high-profile endorsement deals , including one with McDonald 's . But he re-signed with the Lakers in 2004 and again in 2010 , for a total of over $ 200 million . Sports Illustrated -- like CNN , a division of Time Warner -- reported in June that Bryant , 33 , earns an estimated $ 34.8 million annually , ranking him sixth on the magazine 's list of the top-grossing athletes in sports . He also found more success on the court , including winning an MVP award in 2008 and leading the Lakers to NBA championships in 2009 and 2010 . After a protracted labor dispute that prompted the NBA to trim its regular season to 66 games , the Lakers ' team captain is scheduled to play in next Monday 's preseason opener against the Los Angeles Clippers at the Staples Center .
Vanessa Bryant cites `` irreconcilable differences , '' a court spokeswoman says . The couple has been married for more than 20 years and have two children together. Vanessa sat by Kobe 's side after he admitted having sex with a teenage hotel clerk .