Pau Gasol Admits Desire to Be Father-Figure for Kobe Bryant’s Daughters: ”I’ll Try to Be There for Them”

Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant formed one of the best duos in the NBA during their playing time. The 2008 trade united Kobe Bryant and Gasol, won two championships together. Bryant and Gasol thrived together, although Kobe had alienated a lot of teammates who did not have the winning ‘Mamba’ mentality. That wasn’t the case with Pau Gasol.

Kobe Bryant’s tragic death has opened the doors for Pau Gasol, who has turned into a support system for the Bryants.

Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant’s daughters:

Kobe Bryant also had a lot of respect for Gasol as he had referred to Gasol as his brother. Kobe would also use the term “Hermano” whenever he wrote about him on social media.

Amazon Prime Video has released Pau Gasol’s documentary which has 4 episodes, talks about his life and career. In the 1st episode, Gasol reveals the relationship between him and Kobe’s daughter.

“I’ll try to be there for them. The elder one, Natalie, is practically a woman now. His two little girls had practically no chance to get to know him. So..(Sobbing), little else. It’s a tough moment.” said a teary-eyed Pau Gasol.

This is great coming from Pau Gasol as Kobe’s daughter gets someone to look up to after the unfortunate death of their father. Gasol’s first child was named after Gianna Bryant, while Vanessa Bryant was declared as the godmother.

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Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol:

‘Tough to be friends with’, ‘too obsessed with winning’ are some terms Kobe has been described as. Pau Gasol, on the other hand, formed a great relationship with Bryant and his family.

“I learned first-hand what it meant to be the best. The effort, the commitment, and the work ethic he had were unparalleled. It inspired so many players, not just on his team but beyond his team. It inspired a generation, probably multiple generations of players that we see today.” Gasol told Fox Sports according to Sports Illustrated.

Bryant and other teammates had often called Gasol the hardest working player in the league. This mentality of Gasol made Kobe respect him even more. Kobe played 357 games alongside Gasol where he averaged 26.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 5.1 assists. Gasol averaged 17.6 points,9.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists during his playing time with Kobe.

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