According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, if you're an athlete looking to step up your game simply get a divorce! As Kobe Bryant slogs through a nasty divorce there's reason to believe that his playing won't suffer at all. On the contrary, statistics show that other star players have actually performed better following their courtroom battles.
One recent example was last year's divorce between Tony Parker and Eva Longoria. The divorce battle was public and painful, yet his numbers on the court improved. In 2009-2010, Parker averaged 16points and 5.7 assists per-game. This year those numbers increased to 17.5 points and 6.6 assists as his team went on to a Western Conference-best 61-21 season.
Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade dragged himself through a nearly three year long fight with his ex-wife which was only finalized in 2010. During the ordeal he continued to score over 25 points per game.Steve Nash led the NBA in assists both the season before and the season after his marriage ended. After enduring a breakup in 2007, Jason Kidd improved his assist numbers. Vince Carter's stats also went up during the 2006-07 season.
Kobe cannot bank on automatic athletic success, however, as not every case has played out this way. For instance, Kobe's former teammate, Shaquille O'Neal, saw both his scoring and rebounding numbers drop significantly during the 2009-2010 season following his matrimonial meltdown. There is another possible explanation for Shaq's decline and that's his age; at 37 he's nearing the end of his career and may be winding down irrespective of his personal problems.
If you are facing a stress-inducing divorce and need advice, please contact one of our skilled Atlanta Divorce attorneys.
By Connor Alexander, Law Clerk, Meriwether & Tharp, LLC