Pau Gasol Honors Kobe Bryant on Lakers Icon's Birthday, 'Love You Always'

Pau Gasol remembered fellow Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant on what would have been his 47th birthday on Saturday.

Gasol showed his appreciation for Bryant in a post on X, writing, "Happy Birthday, hermano. I miss you and love you always."

Kobe, his 13-year-old daughter Gigi Bryant and seven others tragically died in January 2020 when the helicopter they were riding in crashed on the way to a youth basketball game.

Bryant and Gasol were teammates with the Lakers for parts of seven seasons from 2007-2014, and they enjoyed enormous success together.

The tandem led the Lakers to back-to-back championships in 2009 and 2010. They also reached the NBA Finals in 2008 and made it to the playoffs six times overall.

Three of Gasol's six career All-Star selections came during his time in L.A., and Bryant was named an All-Star all seven years they played together, and 18 times overall during his illustrious career.

Kobe was a five-time NBA champion, two-time NBA Finals MVP and one-time NBA MVP, and he is fourth on the NBA's all-time scoring list. As a result, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021.

Fittingly, Gasol followed suit in 2023, earning his induction after an 18-year NBA career with the Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies, Chicago Bulls, San Antonio Spurs and Milwaukee Bucks.