Pau Gasol’s $116 Million Worth Trade Brought Major Change to Kobe Bryant’s Lakers, Ex-NBA Star Claims

NBA trades have the potential to decide the team’s future, it can either make or break a team. However, on February 1, 2008, a move by Mitch Kupchak, the then-LA Lakers general manager, reshaped the future of the team. The trade organized by Kupchak brought in a 7-foot-tall Spaniard from Memphis Grizzlies to Hollywood. The impact of Pau Gasol‘s entry into the team was felt instantly. He tuned in with the then 3x NBA champion Kobe Bryant and the duo became unstoppable.

The Lakers even reached the NBA finals in 2008, but their plan of getting to the rings was derailed by the Boston Celtics. The team, however, came back with vengeance the following season. Lakers, who went through several tough seasons following Shaquille O’Neal‘s exit, finally found their glimmer of hope in Gasol, who would lead them to win 2 championships.

Surely enough, Gasol‘s entry into the team brought in some changes to the whole system. Recently, one of the former teammates of ‘Black Mamba‘ sat down for an interview in which he detailed the changes in the team which came following the entry of ‘Kung Pow‘. What do you think the changes might be? Keep reading on to find out!

Former teammate spills the tea on the major changes following Gasol’s entry!

Trevor Ariza, the former LA Lakers small forward, recently sat down for an interview during which he revealed how impactful and important the Spaniard’s entry into the team was. The 38-year-old also talked about how the chemistry between the players was back in the day and how Gasol turned out to be the missing piece from the puzzle.

When asked if there were any egoistic players on the team, the ex-Laker star said, “Nah we definitely had egos.” He also added, “That was just the synergy at the team. And we had a really good coaching staff you know. We had a really really really good coaching staff. With players and coaches that um that people that people respect you know their philosophy works.”

Later, when questioned about the “Team Chemistry” Ariza mentioned, “It took a Paul Gasol trade. Once Pau got there seems like the Lakers just hit a stride. And they just didn’t look back during that time. It was crazy! and all the other piece just knew the system so well it was easy to like Pau was like plug and play.”

The profound impact of Gasol on the Laker’s history is quite evident and undeniable. Even Kobe Bryant had made it pretty clear when he talked about his relationship with Gasol, who helped him quench his thirst for six years for a championship!

Pau Gasol Opens up on his relationship with Kobe Bryant

Gasol‘s entry into the Lakers didn’t just end up being a mere business deal for the club, it also marked the beginning of a profound relationship between Kobe Bryant and him. Although he was known to be very anti-social, Bryant‘s relationship with Pau grew stronger and stronger day by day.

In an interview with ESPN, Gasol detailed how hard it was for him when Kobe passed away, “You start getting in this trance where you’re completely frozen,” he said. “You’re just stuck in complete shock. You can’t believe it. I still for days, weeks, I still didn’t want to believe it.” he added later.

When asked if he thought that Kobe could’ve walked out of the hospital along with his daughter, Gasol recalled, “We had that perception of him as that strong, as that invincible. If someone could have survived it, it was him.” A blow of this level was surely heartbreaking not only to Gasol but to the whole basketball world. Now a Hall of Famer, Uncle Pau has taken up the duties of looking after Kobe‘s daughter and being there for her whenever the need arises. Just like Kobe asked him to.