Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol shared a deep bond while they were part of the Los Angeles Lakers. After the Spanish big man left the Californian team, their brotherhood remained untouched. Until Kobe’s final moments on earth, he and Pau were really close.
We’re a couple of days away from watching Kobe going into the Hall of Fame, being inducted by Michael Jordan. Gasol is now part of FC Barcelona in the Spanish league, trying to close his career the best way.
Recently, he sat down with Los Angeles Times sports reporter Broderick Turner to talk about his relationship with Kobe and how the Black Mamba impacted him and the game of basketball.
“The way he impacted the world, I think beyond the world of sports … beyond basketball, how he touched so many people, inspired so many people … Kobe went beyond that and above that,” said Gasol, per Los Angeles Times.
“He wasn’t much of a sentimental guy, he was like ‘snap out of it … let’s get to it, there’s no time to waste.’ He would try to, I guess, inspire you and encourage you when he needed you to be inspired and encouraged, but he would also try to intimidate you when he wanted to get the better of you,” the 40-year-old added.
It’s been over a year since Kobe was tragically killed in a fatal helicopter crash where he was headed to a basketball game with his daughter Gianna and seven other people, including the helicopter pilot.
Things still feel fresh, and it’s unclear when the world will get over this. Kobe left this world very young, with so much left to give and teach. He made a big impact on all the people that knew him, played against or with him, and those that watched him become one of the best players of all time.
The Black Mamba will always be remembered as that guy with a big desire to be better every day, who never backed down from a challenge, creating a big legend in the association.
