Pau Gasol’s No. 16 jersey was officially retired by the Los Angeles Lakers in the Crypto.com Arena on March 7. Introducing Gasol at the event, Vanessa Bryant paid a touching tribute to the NBA star whom she described as a special friend and teammate to Kobe. She then threw it back to an old video that showed 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.”
True to the prediction, Gasol’s jersey was unveiled right next to Kobe’s — something that had the 7-foot center fighting tears. In his appreciation speech, Gasol thanked Vanessa for the touching tribute and for making it down to the arena for his retirement ceremony. The former Laker then went on to acknowledge Kobe as the audience chanted the late NBA star’s name. “I miss him so much like many of us do…I really do, but I think he’ll be proud,” he said.
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According to People, Gasol’s retirement ceremony comes only a few weeks after winning the Kobe & Gigi Bryant WNBA Advocacy Award where he was lauded for his “significant contributions to the advancement of girls’ and women’s basketball.” Gasol is also an ambassador for FIBA, the International Basketball Federation.
