Pau Gasol is a Spanish basketball player who spent 18 years in the NBA. Having played for 5 different franchises, Pau was effective and a dedicated player for all of them. However, his most successful stint was with the Los Angeles Lakers from 2008-2014. He won 2 NBA championships with LA.

Combining with Kobe, he formed a partnership that was lethal in its day and match winning. The 7’0” center, who also could play as a forward, was the perfect support to Kobe Bryant.

The combination of Kobe and Gasol was unbreakable and quite unbeatable. They were ruthless and often in perfect sync. Their chemistry was second to none. They led the Lakers to 2 NBA championships together. However, the trade of Pau Gasol to the Lakers might have taken another shape. This would have meant the Lakers might have had only one of the two. There was also a chance that they might have even had none of the stars.

WATCH THIS STORY: Kobe Bryant’s best teammates featuring Gasol and others.

Unhappy Pau Gasol and Kobe found their delight in Lakers

In a recent interview with JJ Redick on The Old Man and Three, Gasol revealed many stories related to Kobe. Including Kobe’s first message to him as a Laker, he also shared how the two superstars had a prior interest in playing with each other.

“The situation in Memphis wasn’t getting better anytime soon and it just gave me a chance. I saw Kobe that summer prior to that trade where he was also there [unhappy stat], where [he] might go or he might have gone to Chicago. Chicago was interested and Chicago was of interest for him. And I wanted to try and figure out my situation in Memphis in a way to find a better place for me to fulfill those goals that I had.” Pau Gasol revealed that Kobe, just like him, was unhappy with his team.

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“We ran into each other in Barcelona.” Pau shared, “We were talking about our situations, how we both wanted to be in a better place and now maybe we can get to play [together]. In my mind it was like, Memphis, if they gonna trade me they are gonna ask for you. If you are not gonna come, we are never gonna play together. Luckily they figured out a way to add pieces to that trade. I think I made a very profitable and positive [decision] even if at the time it didn’t look like that way for Memphis and for the Lakers.”

The Lakers fans, and in fact all the NBA fans were lucky that the people in LA could bring Gasol and keep Kobe. Kobe’s legacy remains one of the very special ones also because of his loyalty to the Lakers. Moreover, the partnership of Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol gave us some of the unforgettable moments in the NBA.