Kobe Bryant liked to tell people that he didn’t have time for friends. Not in the conventional way, most people have friends with whom they chat regularly or have a meal when they are in the same part of town.
Always with the brand, Bryant still registered the slogan: “Friends hang sometimes, Banners hang forever.”
Pau Gasol heard him say that all the time.
“Yes, he always said, ‘I don’t have time for friends. I’m too busy performing, being the best out there or achieving greatness. I don’t have time for sentimental things,'” said Gasol. “He would say that publicly, and there was some truth to that. But …”
Gasol knew the truth.
Behind all that tough talk was a sensitive father for four daughters who would always be there when Gasol called.
“He’s the closest thing to an older brother I’ve had in my life,” said Gasol.
They didn’t take selfies together when they met for dinner in the final years of their career, or after Bryant retired from the NBA in 2016. The only trace of how close Bryant and Gasol’s relationship had become came mainly in the form of #hermano – Spanish for brother – hashtags on Twitter or Instagram.
Gasol needed no shouting. He already knew how close his and Bryant’s friendship was. But he is proud to have made Bryant open up and show the world that side of him.
“You could see his toughness, his courage, his desire, his hunger, Mamba’s mentality … But he had a very kind and loving side too.”
Pau Gasol in Kobe Bryant
“You could see his resistance, his courage, his desire, his hunger, Mamba’s mentality – to be the best at all times, to work harder than anyone else,” said Gasol. “But he had a very kind and loving side too.”
In the later stages of his career, Bryant began to lower his veil slightly and let the world see what Gasol was doing.
“I am more naturally inclined to show my softness on a personal and emotional level and I think this is something that perhaps influenced him in a way,” said Gasol. “I would say, ‘It’s normal to be normal or to act kindly and vulnerable or soft at times. We don’t have to be so hard all the time and be on edge all the time.'”
Matt Barnes did not know that it was Gasol who had opened Bryant, but he certainly noticed when it started to happen.
“I remember one time we were on a bus in Phoenix and I asked Kobe, ‘Why can’t the rest of the world see how cool you are, son of a bitch …” said Barnes, who played with Bryant and Gasol from 2010 to ’12. “I literally asked him that question in front of everyone. And Kobe said, ‘I can’t show these motherfuckers that.’
“I think that was part of the whole Mamba mentality. But when you made him let his guard down, or when he managed to penetrate the wall, you know, Kobe was cool like the — But he had to let you see this side. “
It is still difficult for Gasol to talk about Bryant’s death. Mention January 26 and Gasol’s mind goes back to the moment he first heard about the helicopter accident that killed the former Los Angeles Lakers great, his daughter Gianna and seven others.
He was in Spain at the time, with his now wife, Cat, driving home when her phone started receiving news alerts and text messages.
“You start to get into that trance where you are completely frozen,” he said. “You are trapped in complete shock. You can’t believe it. I still for days, weeks, I still didn’t want to believe it.
“You still thought that Kobe could have gotten out of that accident on his own feet and carried his daughter – and if there were any other survivors – with him to the hospital.
“We had that perception of him as being strong, invincible. If anyone could have survived, it would be him.”
Gasol said he cried for days, numb, heartbroken and in shock at the same time. But very quickly he knew what he needed to do.
“We just booked a flight [to California]”, he said.” We decided that we needed to be there and left. We didn’t know if we would be gone for a week, two weeks or a month, but we needed to be there.
“We wanted to be close to Vanessa and the kids and be there, like Uncle Pau, for whatever they needed.”
Pau Gasol in the days after the helicopter crash
“We wanted to be close to Vanessa and the kids and be there, like Uncle Pau, for whatever they needed.”
The Gasol stayed close to the Bryant home in Orange County for several months, checking on the family frequently and trying to support them during the unthinkable tragedy.
Uncle Pau sent Vanessa flowers on what would be the couple’s 19th wedding anniversary in April and a birthday cake on what would be Gianna’s 14th birthday in May.
The Gasols and Bryants took a boat trip through San Francisco Bay in August and dressed up as Star Wars characters on Halloween. And when the Gasols’ first child was born in September, they named him Gianna.
“My daughter’s full name is Elisabet Gianna Gasol,” he said. “It is a way, not only to pay homage to Gianna, but to keep them always present. They are our family and how can you have them more than in the name of your daughter or son?
“We had more problems inventing her first name than her middle name. He represents a lot, the name. The kindness, the heart that Gianna had, the talent, just with the hardness that she showed. Her father and mother in her, is something that has a lot of meaning for us, which is why she is called Elisabet Gianna. “
Gasol had been to Gianna Bryant’s basketball games over the years and saw his talent flourish.
“She could have changed women’s basketball,” said Gasol. “I hope it still happens, but she was so significant, so important to the game that she could have meant it. So I think it is up to us to keep her in mind and not allow her death to diminish how much she could have impacted. “
That’s where Gasol finds comfort now, almost a year after Kobe and Gianna’s death.
There is still sadness and shock. He says he will never ride a helicopter.
“Every time I see one, it provokes me,” he said.
But Gasol said he knows he is doing exactly what his older brother would like him to do: look after Vanessa and his three daughters and help others learn from the legacy Kobe and Gigi left behind.
“He was deeply concerned with sharing his knowledge, inspiring others, touching people’s lives,” said Gasol.
The fact that Bryant wanted to connect with other people reminded Gasol of the way he connected the first time. They knew each other as competitors early in their careers, while Bryant was winning championships with Shaquille O’Neal in Los Angeles and Gasol was trying to take the Memphis Grizzlies along the way.
Then, a casual encounter changed the course of their lives. In the summer of 2007, the Bryants happened to meet Gasol during his vacation in Barcelona, his hometown, when he was working out at the hotel gym.
“It’s crazy how that happened,” said Gasol. “There has been talk of him leaving the Lakers and potentially being traded to Chicago. There were conversations about me too, because I wanted to be in a different situation than Memphis at the time, and the direction the franchise was taking.
“So I said, ‘Well, maybe one day we will play together. Never know.’ In my mind, I was unable to register the Grizzlies by negotiating with the Lakers. But then, a few months later, when I thought it just wouldn’t happen, it did. And I ended up with him and the Lakers in a perfect time when things just fell into place and fell into place immediately, and we had incredible moments. “
However, there was no celebration after the impressive midseason trade, which would result in three consecutive appearances in the NBA finals and two titles for the Lakers.
No, Bryant knocked on Gasol’s door at 1:30 am and told him how it was going to be.
“I landed in Washington that first night to join the team, and after the physical exam, he came to my room to say to me, ‘Hey, I’m really excited to have you. Very happy that you’re here, but now we’re going to win one championship, “said Gasol.
“I mean, it doesn’t get any clearer than that. He made sure I knew immediately where he was. There is no confusion: ‘This is what I want. This is where I am, and this is where I will need you to be. Now , will you be in it? Will you be on board or not? ‘”
Gasol was ready.
“I really wanted the chance,” he said. “This was my chance, and I wasn’t going to waste it.”
During the first game together, Bryant was even more to the point. He fed Gasol early to keep him going and often spoke to him in Spanish on the court – so that his opponents could not understand them – and he generally maintained that demanding nature every minute of every game in the more than six seasons that they played together.
“He can be tough. There is no doubt about it,” said Gasol.
It is a good way to put things.
“There would be times when I would have to, like, put my arm around Pau and tell him that everything is going to be okay,” said Barnes. “Because [Bryant] would curse that son of a bitch in any language you can imagine. “
That’s how Gasol will remember Bryant as a player. The courage, the determination, the direct shots through the media (remember that whole Black Swan-White Swan narrative that Bryant did to motivate Gasol to be more aggressive and physical?).
But that is not how he will remember his older brother.
“Our relationship seemed to be made to come together for some reason,” said Gasol. “And now, after his and Gigi’s loss, it brought us much closer to what he meant to me, who he was, what he brought to my life and obviously his family and now my family, like me consider.
“He was someone I will miss for the rest of my life, but I will keep him in mind for everything I do.”