Published 21:43 IST, November 9th 2020
Pau Gasol plays golf with ex-teammate Kobe Bryant's daughter, NBA fans praise 'Godfather'
Pau Gasol has maintained his connections with the Kobe Bryant family after his former teammate's death and was recently seen playing golf with Natalia Bryant.
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Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant developed a strong bond on and off the field during their time together from 2008-2014. The duo won two NBA championships together, and their brotherhood remained strong even after the Spaniard left the Los Angeles Lakers for the Chicago Bulls. After the Lakers legend's tragic death earlier this year, Gasol has tightened his bond with the family, and can often be seen hanging out with Kobe Bryant daughters.
Pau Gasol godfather: Kobe's former teammate spends quality time with his daughters
Pau Gasol was deeply affected by Kobe Bryant's tragic death and spent days alone before coming to terms with it. The former Lakers star though maintained his connections with Vanessa Bryant and her children, showing unparalled love towards his former teammate's family. So much so that the Spanish ace named his recently born daughter Gianna, after Kobe's nine-year-old daughter who also passed away in the crash.
Pau Gasol was recently pictured playing golf with Natalia Bryant, and the 17-year-old recently shared a video of hitting a nice putt. The 40-year-old has been nicknamed as Uncle Pau, and the former Lakers center is using his time off the court to spend time with Kobe's family. Pau also recently shared a heartwarming post of him celebrating Halloween with the Bryant family, where they dressed up as characters from Star Wars. Netizens are in aew of Pau's efforts to spend time with Kobe's daughters, with many affectionately calling him their godfather online.
Pau is such a fantastic dude. Loved him on the court, love him off it.
— Chris (@superbonesaw) November 8, 2020
Kobe was like a brother to him. He’s a defacto uncle to those kids. Love to see it.
— Mike Ruben (@MichaelBRuben) November 9, 2020
Pau took Kobe’s daughter’s golfing. I just can’t. This guy cannot be this good..... pic.twitter.com/69iDYrO8s8
— Lukinator (@Lukinator111) November 8, 2020
The former Lakers star had also celebrated his 40th birthday with the Bryants, and had sent a very cute cake to Gigi on her 14th birthday. Gasol also once shared a picture of him sporting a ‘mambacita’ Gigi Bryant bracelet. He had also sent Vanessa Bryant bouquets in April in what would have been their 19th wedding anniversary. On what would have been Kobe's 42nd birthday, Pau had posted an emotional message on Twitter, where he thanked the Lakers legend for impacting his life in so many different ways.
On the work front, Pau Gasol's future remains uncertain and the 40-year-old last played for the Milwaukee Bucks in 2019. Rumours have linked him with a switch to Barcelona, where he could team up with his brother Marc, but no confirmation of the same has been met with yet. Pau Gasol has career NBA averages of 17.0 points and 9.2 rebounds having spent his illustrious career at the likes of Memphis Grizzlies, Lakers, Chicago Bulls, San Antonio Spurs and Milwaukee Bucks.
The 40-year-old was on the Portland Trail Blazers roster for the 2019-20 season, but wasn’t able to recover from his foot injury and didn’t appear in a single game and was subsequently waived off.
(Image Courtesy: Natalia Bryant Instagram)
21:42 IST, November 9th 2020