By Antigoni Zachari / info@eurohoops.net
The 26th of January will forever be marked by the tragic passing of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna in a helicopter crash that also took the lives of seven more people in 2020.
On the first anniversary of this tragic event, the basketball world has unanimously paid its tributes to the legacy of the “Black Mamba”, including Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, John Wall, LeBron James, and a plethora of others. One of his closest friends and Los Angeles Lakers teammate, Pau Gasol, paid his own touching tribute to the late icon with a post on his social media accounts.
In his statement, Gasol writes:
“I miss you, hermano… not a day goes by that you are not present in what I do. Your spirit, your drive, your ambition, your love… continues to shine in my life and in many others. Photos, videos, very special moments keep being shared by countless people that have admired you and loved you in their own way, reminding me how incredibly lucky I have been to share some of those moments with you.
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I hope you and Gigi are smiling down seeing how strong, sweet and amazing your girls are… they are growing so fast brother.
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I wish you could’ve met our little Elisabet Gianna. We will make sure she knows where her middle name comes from… how extraordinary, loving and inspiring her cousin Gigi and her uncle Kobe were.
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Today, we honor and celebrate both of you, you have left us with so much…, but even if it isn’t how we would like things to be, you are, and always will be, in our hearts.”
Te echo de menos, hermano… pic.twitter.com/qa6oxrwdwJ
— Pau Gasol (@paugasol) January 26, 2021
Since Bryant’s passing, Gasol has kept a close bond with Kobe’s widow, Vanessa Bryant and her daughters, spending family holidays with them and honoring the legacy of his friend.
Kobe and Pau’s friendship ran deep, from their on-court chemistry and their successful runs that ended up to two NBA championships, to what happened behind the scenes and will never see the light of day. Kobe himself had insisted back in the day that the Lakers would retire Pau’s jersey, while Pau has named his newly-born daughter after late Gianna. Memories and a friendship that will forever live on, as the two families remain close and Pau takes on an almost parental role for Kobe’s daughters.
Photo: Getty Images