7 ft Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant Tower Over Tennis Icons Roger Federer and Pete Sampras in Rarely Seen Photos

Published 06/28/2022, 11:25 AM EDT

Back at the height of the Lakers’ popularity, Kobe Bryant was the biggest star. The crowd of the staples’ center was roaring his name. And everyone wanted a piece of the action. Even the number one tennis star at the time, Roger Federer couldn’t hold back. And he looked smaller than ever besides Kobe and Pau Gasol.

Federer ranks alongside the greatest tennis players to hit the earth. The Switzerland native ascended to world no.1 for the first time in 2004. And that started off his 237-week-long reign at the top of the mountain. Since then, Federer has become the almighty leader of the top spot. He has no competition with 310 weeks as the world’s number 1. But the 20-time grand slam champ had to check-in for a Lakers game.

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Back in 2011, he, along with former world number 1 Pete Sampras, went in to watch Kobe Bryant take on the Bobcats.

Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol had to look down at Federer

In 2011, the Lakers and Bobcats were ready for a showdown. And in support came Roger Federer and Pete Sampras. Both are tall individuals standing at 6ft. However, in front of the Lakers duo of Kobe and Pau, they were no match. The Mamba stands at 6’6″ and Gasol is a big man at 7’1″.

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In the photos that came out, Federer and Sampras looked smaller near the giants. But while the height difference could have been embarrassing for the tennis stars, they got a great display of basketball that night. Both Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol went off against the Charlotte Bobcats to secure a win at the Staples Center. Federer and Sampras saw their masterful performance in courtside view.

The Lakers came out with the win against the Bobcats in a low-scoring affair. Kobe Bryant led the way and scored 27 points in the 92-84 win. His championship teammate Pau Gasol got himself a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds. The two shared 2 championships together and also remained to be great friends off the court.

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Do you think Pau Gasol and Shaquille O’Neal are Kobe Bryant’s best teammates? Let us know your views in the comments below.

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Written by:

Anuj Talwalkar is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. He is a student studying at NM College in Mumbai, aspiring to pursue sports management to follow his love for sports. Anuj started following the NBA last year, and he loves to combine his passion for writing with his understanding of basketball.

Edited by:

Bagavathi Eswaran

7 ft Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant Tower Over Tennis Icons Roger Federer and Pete Sampras in Rarely Seen Photos

Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol had to look down at Federer

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