Moments before tipoff, Pau Gasol turned his head and saw Kobe Bryant walking onto the court.
The two then shared a hug before Bryant slapped Gasol on the back multiple times. It symbolized the strong partnership through 6 1/2 seasons with the Lakers that spanned three NBA Finals appearances and two championships. It resembled the bond they built amid Bryant supporting Gasol through diminished roles and endless trade speculation. It also marked the first time the two played against each other since Gasol left the Lakers for the Chicago Bulls two years ago.
During that time, Bryant and Gasol had an emotional conversation that revealed his mixed feelings toward the Lakers.
“He said, ‘Kobe I want to play with you forever,’” Bryant said. “But what management did to me was disrespectful.’”
Gasol laughed when informed of Bryant’s recollection.
“I didn’t say …” Gasol said before trailing off and pausing. “Whatever we talked about, which was probably a year-and-a-half ago in free agency, stays there. I did tell him that I wanted to play if I could with him forever. But I was ready to move on and put myself in a situation where I thought I was going to be a lot happier and play the way I’ve been playing.”
Gasol certainly played well in the Lakers’ 114-91 loss to the Bulls on Thursday at Staples Center. He posted 21 points on 11-of-17 shooting, 12 rebounds and seven assists in 30 minutes.
In their first matchup as opponents since the 2012 Olympics, Gasol posted up on Bryant in the post and converted on a hook shot. Bryant defended Gasol on another play and forced a turnover.
“He was very aggressive trying to steal the ball out of my hands,” Gasol said, laughing. “He got me once. So I was able to get him in the post and have a pretty good move there. It’s fun. He competes and tries his best. He might not be great right now. But he’s always going to compete.”
Bryant posted 10 points on only 4-of-13 shooting and three assists in 25 minutes. He planned to check in midway through the fourth quarter while the Bulls nursed a 15-point deficit. But Lakers coach Byron Scott decided otherwise once the Bulls scored six points in less than a minute.
“They’re definitely going through a rebuilding situation with a lot of young players and players trying to figure out how to play together and how to play individually,” Gasol said. “So for any team, it’s hard with those type of pieces.”
So even if the Lakers offered deals worth $29 million over three years and $23 million over two years with a no-trade clause, Gasol decided to sign with the Bulls to a three-year deal worth over $22 million.
“He was there and wanted me to stay, obviously,” Gasol said of Bryant. “But just the situation as we all know was not ideal for me. So I had to move on.”
What did Bryant say?
“I said, Pau, come on with your silly pride thing. Put that to the side,’” Bryant said. “He said, ‘No, it’s principle at this point.’ As his brother, I can understand completely where he’s coming from.”
Bryant then sympathized with Gasol’s journey with the Lakers. After helping the Lakers to three NBA Finals appearances and two championships, Gasol fared poorly in the 2011 Western Conference semifinals against Dallas. Then, the Lakers traded Gasol to Houston as part of the Chris Paul deal that the NBA rejected. Gasol then experienced injuries and diminished roles under former Lakers coaches Mike Brown and Mike D’Antoni, as well as endless trade speculation.
“I understand,” Bryant said. “Listen. We’re people before basketball players, especially a player that brought so much to this organization. I completely understand where he’s coming from. If I didn’t understand it, we wouldn’t be as close as we are to this day.”
That explains why Bryant had argued this week that Gasol was not fully appreciated during his time in L.A..
“Some people appreciate you more. Some people don’t,” Gasol said. “But there were a lot of people that appreciated me, and Kobe was definitely one of them.”
Gasol sensed Bryant’s appreciation quickly after the Lakers acquired him from Memphis in February 2008 for Kwame Brown, Aaron McKie, Javaris Crittenton, two first-round picks and the rights to Pau’s brother, Marc. Gasol talked with Bryant extensively before and after he landed in Washington D.C. to join the Lakers in the middle of their annual Grammy trip.
“He was definitely excited to have me on the team with my skill-set, IQ and with the way I approach the game,” Gasol said. “We were a perfect fit for that team.”
So much that Bryant has considered Gasol the NBA’s best post player and the best passer.
“It was his intelligence. It had nothing to do with the spotlight or anything like that,” Bryant said. “It was his intelligence and his ability to communicate and his ability to have extreme poise and his ability to put the arm around the guys. He didn’t beat them up verbally. He put his arm around them and encouraged them and brought them along. It’s all those attributes. On top of it, he’s just a great player.”
While Gasol considered himself the Lakers’ “missing piece of the puzzle,” Gasol considered Bryant his most talented teammate who navigated the Lakers through murky waters
“He’s such a great closer. So when we were in trouble, he would always take over,” Gasol said. “He was never scared to take the last shot. He’s competitive in every single night. That’s something you have to respect 100 percent.”
The respect between Bryant and Gasol has morphed into a relationship that Gasol said “stays strong.” But with Gasol viewing the Lakers’ front office differently, could he be persuaded to rejoin the Lakers if he becomes a free agent this offseason? Then, the Lakers will have room to sign two players to max deals.
“This summer is a different moment and different story,” Gasol said. “I don’t know. I don’t think about the summer right now. I want to think about the season and playing as well as I can, and help this team as far as I possibly can.”
LARGER THAN LIFE
The news caught Shaquille O’Neal by surprise. Late-night television host Jimmy Kimmel informed O’Neal on his late-night talk show Wednesday that the Lakers will unveil a statue of him outside of Staples Center. The Lakers then confirmed this will happen at some point during the 2016-17 season.
“We look forward to having Shaq join the other legends who have been honored with statues at Staples Center,” Lakers president Jeanie Buss in a statement. “He is a giant not only in size, but also in stature and in what he accomplished as a Laker.”
O’Neal will become the fourth Laker luminary to have his statue unveiled, joining Magic Johnson, the late broadcaster Chick Hearn, Jerry West and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
O’Neal said he will likely have Johnson, former Sixers legend Julius Irving and former LSU coach Dale Brown introduce him. O’Neal also revealed, “I’ll probably go in as a Laker.”
All of which made Bryant gush about the honor and calling it “well-deserved.” He also reported “the statue is going to be magnificent” before sharing he most remembered O’Neal “pointing to the sky” following his lob in Game 7 of the 2000 Western Conference Finals against Portland. The Lakers then won three consecutive NBA titles.
“I don’t know if it would make for a good statue, but that pose to me was the beginning of the run,” Bryant said.
Regardless, Bryant predicted O’Neal will show a softer side during the unveiling.
“I know outwardly he’s never going to be too emotional about it,” Bryant said. “But knowing him the way I know about it, it means the world to him.”
FEELING SNUBBED
It took only a single tweet for Lakers center Roy Hibbert to capture why the Lakers have appreciated his support for the team’s young core. “Want to congratulate (D’Angelo Russell) and (Jordan Clarkson) for making the rookie sophomore game,” Hibbert tweeted. “But it’s a travesty that (Julius Randle) didn’t make it.”
Hibbert expounded on his thoughts Thursday, citing Randle’s 16 double-doubles and 9.6 rebounds per game average that leads his sophomore class.
“He got robbed,” Hibbert said. “He’s going to make the NBA pay.”
As for Russell and Clarkson?
“Jordan is playing strong and doing what he needs to do. D’Angelo has come a long way,” Hibbert said. “He would never talk about it. But I would see stuff people were saying about him and he’s proving people wrong.”
