Sophia Michaels
On March 7th, the Los Angeles Lakers held a retirement ceremony for Pau Gasol’s No. 16 jersey in the Crypto.com Arena. Vanessa Bryant, a close friend and teammate of Kobe, introduced Gasol and paid a heartfelt tribute to him. She then showed an old video of Kobe predicting that Gasol’s jersey would be next to his on the rafters. “There’s no debating how when he retires, he will have his number in the rafters next to mine,” Kobe said in the clip. “The reality is, I don’t win those championships without Pau. And I really look forward to the day when he’s there giving his speech at center court.”
The prediction came true as Gasol’s jersey was unveiled right next to Kobe’s, causing the 7-foot center to become emotional. In his speech, Gasol thanked Vanessa for her kind words and for attending his ceremony. He also acknowledged Kobe as the audience chanted his name. “I miss him so much like many of us do…I really do, but I think he’ll be proud,” he said.
Recently, Gasol won the Kobe & Gigi Bryant WNBA Advocacy Award for his “significant contributions to the advancement of girls’ and women’s basketball.” He is also an ambassador for FIBA, the International Basketball Federation.
