Pau Gasol: “I Wish Kobe Bryant Was Still Here Being a Father to All His Children”

Published 11/28/2021, 9:52 PM EST

On January 26, 2020, Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others lost their lives in a tragic helicopter crash. The basketball world has not been the same ever since. It cannot forget that Bryant is no longer among us.

Pau Gasol, a close friend of the Bryant’s, cannot help but remember his friend.

In a recent interview with The Real Daytime, Gasol spoke about his time with Bryant. He also spoke a little about his future, and his upcoming series.

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Paul Gasol remembers Kobe Bryant during a recent interview

Over the past few months, we have seen plenty of videos and photos of Gasol spending time with the Bryant’s. The content is sometimes shared by Gasol himself, or Vanessa Bryant. He even named his daughter after Gianna: naming Vanessa her godmother.

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In the interview, Gasol spoke about one of his closest friends and how he misses him. Of course, he wishes that Bryant was still here, inspiring people like he always has been. Gasol spoke of Bryant’s presence in the family that made a lot of difference with his mentality.

He impacted everyone in different ways. Gasol misses reaching out to him, calling him and just asking him for advice.

“But mainly again I wish he was still here being a father to all his children and being a husband to Vanessa”, Gasol said.

Gasol on naming his daughter Gianna

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When asked about his daughter, Gasol spoke about it as a way to have both Bryant and Gianna close to them always. “It was just probably, for us, the biggest way that we could actually honor him and her into our lives”, he said.

He explained that they are a family, and how they love each other. They will always be there, and they are going to be here for all the good and the bad times. “Naming our daughter Ellie Gianna it was part of how we felt”, stated Gasol.

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Just a few days ago, Gasol played basketball with Bryant’s four-year-old daughter, Bianka. Vanessa was the one who shared the adorable video. Naturally, fans were quite enamored by the clip, sending lots of love their way.

Bryant, who retired in 2016, played his entire twenty-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers. Gasol was with the team from 2007 to 2014. The two bonded while Gasol was with the Lakers, and have been friends ever since.

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Written by:

Devika Pawar is a Golf and NBA writer at Essentially Sports. A psychology graduate from KJ Somaiya, Devika has an experience with sportswriting at Republic World for around two years now. She loves NBA a little too much, and is a dedicated Golden State Warriors fan.

Pau Gasol: “I Wish Kobe Bryant Was Still Here Being a Father to All His Children”

Paul Gasol remembers Kobe Bryant during a recent interview

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Gasol on naming his daughter Gianna