More Than a Teammate: Kobe's Death Affected Pau Gasol "Very Much"

Whether you like it or not, Pau Gasol is one of the greatest Spanish players to step onto an NBA court. He spent the first 6 seasons of his career as the face of the Memphis Grizzlies before he was ultimately traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie, the right to draft Marc Gasol, and two first-round picks in the 2008 and 2010 NBA Draft respectively. The Grizzlies also sent a second-round draft choice for the 20\0 draft to go along with Gasol. 

That blockbuster trade turned the Lakers into a championship contenders as they went on to go to the NBA Finals on three consecutive years from 2008 to 2010- winning the championships from 2009 to 2010. 

But beyond the success that Pau Gasol had achieved during his 6-season stint wearing the Purple and Gold, it was the deeper-than-friendship bond that Pau has developed with the late Kobe Bryant which stood up the most especially for Pau Gasol himself. And forever it will be etched into Gasol.

As the world tries to pick up the pieces after losing the legendary Kobe Bryant and his 13-year old daughter, Gianna, along with 7 others to a horrible helicopter crash, tributes for the 5-time NBA champion are still pouring like a flood that isn't going to stop. Among those who first paid tribute to the NBA icon is none other than the 39-year old Pau Gasol.

In his Twitter post last January 26 (January 27 Manila time), devastation was the main theme of the post. And it was what everyone else was feeling. Even until now

"Beyond devasted... my big brother... I can't.. I just can't believe it"  was the message of the tweet. 

And frankly, everyone else too was devasted at the unexpected demise of the 18-time NBA All-Star as he was just starting what could have been a productive post-NBA life. 

Then, 8 hours ago, Pau Gasol posted on Twitter. This time, a picture of him beside Kobe Bryant during one of their many games together in LA and the caption reads: "You'll be always in my heart... my big brother...<3"

At first, Pau Gasol wasn't even able to say something following Kobe's shocking passing even when a Spanish radio show asked for a comment from the two-time NBA champion. The response they got was that he was very much affected by the horrible incident and that he had no plans of making any statements. And let's face it, folks, anyone in Gasol's situation would have done the same, right?

Now, we all know how an intense  Kobe Bryant was as a competitor even during his final playing years in the NBA. Just ask those who worked and played with him. So the question is: how did Pau Gasol manage to have a deep relationship with the Black Mamba himself?

Pau Gasol,  for those who don't know, has this calming demeanor and positivity which pundits thought were the perfect counterweight to Kobe Bryant's intensity on the court. But there's more to it.

In Caron Butler's memoir, Kobe Bryant also revealed that he had 4 teammates whom he considered as friends in his 20-year journey in the league. Butler was one of those. The other three were Derek Fisher, Ronny Turiaf and yes, you got it right. Pau Gasol. If anything, this revelation by Kobe is proof that the bond between two competitors goes beyond the court. 

Also, when Kobe Bryant announced that he would be retiring by the end of the 2015-2016 season, a lot of people were stunned but not Pau. He said that he had this feeling that that season would be Kobe's final run in the NBA judging by the way  things were going

And if you don't know, Kobe Bryant actually lobbied for Gasol to stay put in LA even after finishing not one but two difficult seasons under Mike D' Antoni. Unfortunately, Gasol opted to leave for Chicago where he signed a 3-year contract. Nevertheless, the respect stayed intact between Kobe and Pau.

The fact that Pau hasn't said anything at all with regards to his friend's death is enough proof that he respected Kobe more than anything else. That he loved him as a brother. And frankly, it's not easy to say something when your hero just passed on, right?

For us, Kobe and Pau are former teammates, champions, and basketball stars. But for Pau, Kobe was his big brother and he lost him. It's just sad. 

Photo is from Bleacher Report