By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Pau Gasol traveled from Barcelona to U.S.A. in order to attend the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame enshrinement of his former teammate and longtime friend Kobe Bryant Saturday (16/5).
Gasol has a strong relationship with Kobe’s family and named his first child Elisabet Gianna, in honor of Gianna Bryant who perished together with her father in the tragic helicopter crash in January 2020. The Spanish great accompanied Vanessa and Natalia Bryant, Kobe’s oldest daughter, and sat behind them during the ceremony.
After Michael Jordan presented Kobe as a new Hall of Famer, Vanessa Bryant gave a heartfelt speech: “I used to always avoid praising my husband in public because I felt like he got enough praise from his fans around the world and someone had to bring him back to reality,” she said. “Right now, I’m sure he’s laughing in heaven because I’m about to praise him in public for his accomplishments on one of the most public stages. I can see him now, arms folded, with a huge grin saying, ‘Isn’t this some s—?’
“He’s still winning,” Vanessa Bryant added.
Gasol and Bryant played together on the Los Angeles Lakers from 2008 to 2014, winning the back-to-back championship titles of 2009 and 2010.