Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant.Photo: Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via GettyAfter the Los Angeles Lakers retiringPau Gasol’s jersey on Tuesday, the retired NBA star said the evening was “extremely intense” without his close friend,Kobe Bryant.Gasol, 42,toldThe Athleticthat his “emotions were riding extremely high” on Tuesday night during the ceremony at the Crypto.com Arena. “It was very intense, very overwhelming, very beautiful to receive such a huge honor, but with so many other emotional factors and triggers,” he said.“And clearly, Kobe’s absence — but still strong presence,” Gasol added. “All that just made it extremely intense.“Gasol, who won two championships with Kobe,told the NBAthat their friendship was based in “love and appreciation for each other,” and the two grew especially close post-retirement. “It even increased when we stopped playing. You had the competition, the teammates, the grind, all that was not happening once I left the Lakers and once he retired. And now we saw the truth, the true emotions, the genuine care and love for each other. That was us.“Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty ImagesNever miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Gasol opened up about missing his close friend and how he continues to be there forVanessa Bryantand her daughters. “Every step of the way, he’s on my mind, in my heart, along with Gigi,” Gasolsaid. “And he’s going to be there forever. I go forward knowing he’s watching.“Gasol explained that Kobe’s family has become a part of his family over the years. “His family’s my family, We’ll be there all the way, through the good and bad times, loving each other and being there for each other. With all my heart,” said Gasol.When the former Laker and wife Catherine McDonnell welcomed their first daughter, Elisabet, just eight months after the crash that killed Kobe and Gianna, Gasol and McDonnell chose to give their daughter the middle name “Gianna.“Gasol said the name was “a way to honor Gianna” and show “how much she means to us and our family,” he told the NBA.Gianna, who was a gifted basketball player, “was meant to be a superstar,” Gasol says. “She was a mini-Kobe,” he said. “She was going to rock this world. The way she was taken from us, so young, so abruptly, broke a lot of people’s hearts. To me, she will always be a presence to my daughter.”
Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant.Photo: Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty
After the Los Angeles Lakers retiringPau Gasol’s jersey on Tuesday, the retired NBA star said the evening was “extremely intense” without his close friend,Kobe Bryant.Gasol, 42,toldThe Athleticthat his “emotions were riding extremely high” on Tuesday night during the ceremony at the Crypto.com Arena. “It was very intense, very overwhelming, very beautiful to receive such a huge honor, but with so many other emotional factors and triggers,” he said.“And clearly, Kobe’s absence — but still strong presence,” Gasol added. “All that just made it extremely intense.“Gasol, who won two championships with Kobe,told the NBAthat their friendship was based in “love and appreciation for each other,” and the two grew especially close post-retirement. “It even increased when we stopped playing. You had the competition, the teammates, the grind, all that was not happening once I left the Lakers and once he retired. And now we saw the truth, the true emotions, the genuine care and love for each other. That was us.“Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty ImagesNever miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Gasol opened up about missing his close friend and how he continues to be there forVanessa Bryantand her daughters. “Every step of the way, he’s on my mind, in my heart, along with Gigi,” Gasolsaid. “And he’s going to be there forever. I go forward knowing he’s watching.“Gasol explained that Kobe’s family has become a part of his family over the years. “His family’s my family, We’ll be there all the way, through the good and bad times, loving each other and being there for each other. With all my heart,” said Gasol.When the former Laker and wife Catherine McDonnell welcomed their first daughter, Elisabet, just eight months after the crash that killed Kobe and Gianna, Gasol and McDonnell chose to give their daughter the middle name “Gianna.“Gasol said the name was “a way to honor Gianna” and show “how much she means to us and our family,” he told the NBA.Gianna, who was a gifted basketball player, “was meant to be a superstar,” Gasol says. “She was a mini-Kobe,” he said. “She was going to rock this world. The way she was taken from us, so young, so abruptly, broke a lot of people’s hearts. To me, she will always be a presence to my daughter.”
After the Los Angeles Lakers retiringPau Gasol’s jersey on Tuesday, the retired NBA star said the evening was “extremely intense” without his close friend,Kobe Bryant.
Gasol, 42,toldThe Athleticthat his “emotions were riding extremely high” on Tuesday night during the ceremony at the Crypto.com Arena. “It was very intense, very overwhelming, very beautiful to receive such a huge honor, but with so many other emotional factors and triggers,” he said.
“And clearly, Kobe’s absence — but still strong presence,” Gasol added. “All that just made it extremely intense.”
Gasol, who won two championships with Kobe,told the NBAthat their friendship was based in “love and appreciation for each other,” and the two grew especially close post-retirement. “It even increased when we stopped playing. You had the competition, the teammates, the grind, all that was not happening once I left the Lakers and once he retired. And now we saw the truth, the true emotions, the genuine care and love for each other. That was us.”
Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Gasol opened up about missing his close friend and how he continues to be there forVanessa Bryantand her daughters. “Every step of the way, he’s on my mind, in my heart, along with Gigi,” Gasolsaid. “And he’s going to be there forever. I go forward knowing he’s watching.”
Gasol explained that Kobe’s family has become a part of his family over the years. “His family’s my family, We’ll be there all the way, through the good and bad times, loving each other and being there for each other. With all my heart,” said Gasol.
When the former Laker and wife Catherine McDonnell welcomed their first daughter, Elisabet, just eight months after the crash that killed Kobe and Gianna, Gasol and McDonnell chose to give their daughter the middle name “Gianna.”
Gasol said the name was “a way to honor Gianna” and show “how much she means to us and our family,” he told the NBA.
Gianna, who was a gifted basketball player, “was meant to be a superstar,” Gasol says. “She was a mini-Kobe,” he said. “She was going to rock this world. The way she was taken from us, so young, so abruptly, broke a lot of people’s hearts. To me, she will always be a presence to my daughter.”
source: people.com
