Pau Gasol Finally Reveals What Kobe Bryant Expected Out of a Perfect Teammate

There is no denying Kobe Bryant is one of the greatest athletes ever. Whether or not someone is a basketball fan, almost everyone has heard about him. Apart from having one of the best NBA careers one can think of, Kobe’s influence on the game helped him become a household name.

Furthermore, Kobe was a leader in all senses. This is further clarified by Pau Gasol, who talks about what Kobe expected from his teammates and how he tested out the players during team practices.

What did Kobe Bryant expect from his teammates?

While Kobe Bryant is regarded as the greatest Los Angeles Lakers player by many, he could never have achieved so much alone. He had help from insane talents like Shaquille O’Neal and Pau Gasol. Among all his teammates, Bryant had a special relationship with Gasol.

The two shared a deep bond that was beyond the sport of basketball during their time in the Lakers. Moreover, Gasol and Bryant formed a deadly duo with each other. In a recent interview, Gasol talked about what Bryant expected from his teammates. Furthermore, he revealed the interesting method Bryant used to test out the players on the team.

Gasol said, “Well, he expected your best. He expected to give your best, take it as seriously as he took it, or at least close to that. Kobe expected you to bring it, to have that winning mindset, and because he understood, without you and everybody else being on that mode, we were gonna fall short. He had to have everyone kind of buy into his mindset of winning out of obsession of winning, and competing and challenging everyone and that’s what it took to be a champion.”

Pau Gasol added, “Every practice had to be a challenge, so he would challenge every guy on the team physically and verbally to see what you were made of, to see if he could count on you, to see if he could earn your respect.“

Although Kobe might have used an interesting method to see if he could trust his teammates, there were several moments in his career where he talked about why he did not trust his teammates.

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Kobe did not trust his teammates

During his time in the NBA, Bryant made a name by being one of the toughest in the league. He always demanded 110% from his teammates. Moreover, Kobe did not pass to the teammates he felt did not work hard enough.

The reasoning behind this attitude of his was given by Kobe Bryant himself. He said, “Some of my teammates don’t understand the work. I see dudes walking into practice 10 minutes before practice and they leave right after. Why the **k am I going to pass them the basketball? I don’t respect their work ethic.”

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