According to TMZ, Vanessa Bryant – wife of LA Laker’s star Kobe Bryant – filed for divorce in California this afternoon.

The former couple was married for 10+ years, getting hitched back in April 2001 when Mrs. Bryant was all of 18 (and Kobe was 22). They’ve apparently worked everything out privately. Kobe’s response was filed just minutes after Vanessa’s petition.

According to the legal docs, Vanessa and Kobe will share joint custody of their 2 daughters — 8-year-old Natalia and 5-year-old Gianna. No big shock, Vanessa appears to have primary physical custody of the kids with Kobe receiving visitation.

The big news is that there was apparently no prenuptial agreement. Soooo, Vanessa gets half. Wowza. Half of everything Kobe made over the last ten and a half years. And she’ll get spousal support.

Vanessa is represented by Laura Wasser and Samantha Klein. Kobe’s lawyers are Scott Weston and Joel Schwartz. Attorneys for both sides have substantial experience in the celebrity divorce arena.

Word on the street is that Vanessa got fed up with Kobe’s infidelity. Apparently the goodwill he bought with that $4 million ring back in 2003 ran out…

Kobe Bryant’s dad Joe “Jellybean” Bryant used to coach the WNBA’s L.A. Sparks. But then he got fired and engaged the team in a legal battle back in 2007.

Now, he finds himself involved in a new legal matter, a lawsuit filed by the lawyers who represented him back in ’07. The Russ August & Kabat law firm claims Joe Bryant never paid them the $76,520.78 he owes for the work they did in the Sparks case.

The law firm is suing for the balance due plus interest. Pocket change to Kobe, apparently an issue for his dad though.

LA Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant and his wife Vanessa are suing former maid Maria Jimenez for breach of contract, breach of covenant of good faith and fair dealing. Jimenez has sued the Bryants for wrongful discharge, emotional distress and unpaid wages.

Her suit claims that Vanessa inflicted distress on her during employment, with alleged acts like docking her salary for ruined designer clothing and making her handle dog feces.

The Bryants’ counterclaim and answer also ask for the maid’s suit to be dismissed based upon a non-disclosure agreement.