Vanessa Bryant had had enough. On Jan. 4, after months of being a virtual prisoner in her own home to avoid the frenzy surrounding her husband's looming sexual assault case, Kobe Bryant's wife came out of her self-imposed seclusion.

That night, Vanessa, 21, attended a basketball game between Kobe's L.A. Lakers and the L.A. Clippers at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. It was there that R&B singer Brandy, 25, -- Kobe's high school prom date and former reported flame -- spotted her successor. The two women were seated a row apart at the game when, an eyewitness recalls, Brandy "made a snide remark to Vanessa [who] turned around and gave her the finger." Brandy fired something back and then Vanessa "laid into her," flashing Kobe's gift -- the infamous $4-million ring -- Kobe had given her, right in Brandy's face.

The ring must have had magical powers: Instead of embarrassing Vanessa, "the face-off seemed to re-energize her,' " says an insider. "Until that point, Vanessa had been subdued, but then it was like she had to protect her turf and make a stand."

ANOTHER COURT DATE

In the coming weeks, Vanessa will certainly need her newfound resolve. At press time, the then 19-year-old Colorado woman whom Kobe allegedly assaulted last June is due to testify in court March 24 about her sexual conduct before and after the encounter with Kobe. But Kobe's legal team -- having already introduced evidence that the accuser allegedly had sex with men other than Kobe around the time of the incident -- has made Vanessa really confident of her husband's acquittal. "Vanessa thinks the evidence that will exonerate Kobe is mounting," reveals the insider. "I think she is confident now that the prosecution's case won't be credible."

Georgia Rottenberg, an old friend of Kobe, adds, "Vanessa is strong emotionally -- and as devoted to Kobe's innocence -- as she's ever been."

With Kobe's future looking brighter, the couple is now often spotted outside of their gated multimillion mansion in Newport Beach, Calif. Vanessa indulges in $100 manicures and pedicures at the Happy Nails salon at the Oceanridge mall near their home. She shops at the Marie boutique, favoring the trendy Von Dutch label and their $200 Tshirts. Together, the Bryants go food shopping at the Pavilions grocery chain and have appeared quite smitten with each other. "They hold hands and talk," says one onlooker. "The last time they were in, Kobe stroked her arm and kissed her cheek." Last month, the couple went out dancing at the Palms casino in Las Vegas. "A few months ago, that would have been out of the question. Vanessa would have felt too exposed," confides Rottenberg. "But now she seems more secure. "

Another big change is Vanessa's warming relationship with Kobe's previously estranged parents, who reportedly disapproved of the couple's 2001 marriage, and didn't even attend their wedding. But on Jan. 19, Vanessa "reached out to Kobe's mom and dad and invited them to their daughter Natalia's first birthday party, " says Rottenberg. "Vanessa's mom told her she's got to be the one to hold the family together. And I think she's taken this to heart."

-- MAGGIE KIM