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Former Lakers Star Pau Gasol Honors Kobe Bryant and His Family in Epic Fashion

Published by

Robert Marvi

September 13, 2020 11:58 pm

Former NBA big man Pau Gasol and his wife Catherine McDonnell welcomed their first daughter on Sunday, and they did so by paying tribute to an NBA legend.

Gasol named his little one Elisabet Gianna Gasol to honor the memory of late Los Angeles Lakers great Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna.

The elder Bryant and younger Bryant were two of nine people who were killed in a tragic helicopter crash in late January.

The elder Gasol played with the elder Bryant for six-and-a-half seasons in L.A. The two went to the NBA Finals three straight years from 2008 to 2010, winning back-to-back championships in the process.

Along the way, the two became close. The connection between their families is still very much intact, as the Gasols and Bryants spent some quality time together just a few weeks ago.

After leaving the Lakers in free agency in 2014, the elder Gasol has played for three different NBA teams. Most recently, he spent the stretch run of the 2018-19 campaign with the Milwaukee Bucks.

Robert Marvi

Robert is a native of Santa Monica, Calif., and a graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara. He has been an avid NBA fan since he was a little kid in the mid '90s and fell in love with the Nick Van Exel-led Lakers teams. He truly cherishes the Kobe Bryant-era of Lakers basketball and the five world championships that came with it, and is looking forward to the team's next NBA title.