First he denied having sex with her. Then he admitted it and claimed it was consensual. Then he tried to explain bruises on her neck. He said strangling was his thing.
“When asked about bruises on the accuser’s neck, Bryant admitted to “strangling” her during the encounter, stating that he held her “from the back” “around her neck”, that strangling during sex was his “thing” and that he had a pattern of strangling a different sex partner (not his wife) during their recurring sexual encounters. When asked how hard he was holding onto her neck, Bryant stated, “My hands are strong. I don’t know.” Bryant stated that he assumed consent for sex because of the accuser’s body language.[3][4]”
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobe_Bryant_sexual_assault_case
So he strangled women but never his wife.
Can you imagine a wife having to sit through all of this.
Of course, he could have strangled her too but was just protecting her from further embarassment