Vanessa Bryant is one of the most iconic and respected women in all of sports.
After suffering a loss no wife or mother should ever have to endure, nobody would have blamed Vanessa for stepping away from the limelight. She did the opposite.
Instead of backing down, she stepped up and became a force of strength and comfort for her family and friends.
One person who has been key to Vanessa picking the pieces back up after losing Kobe and Gianna has been former Los Angeles Lakers star, Pau Gasol.
Between stepping up and spending time with the family on special occasions, commemorating big holidays with them and showering Vanessa with gifts – Gasol has been a crucial figure in helping the Bryant family move on.
This past week, a number of photos shared by the family on social media showed that Gasol spent some fun time on the slopes with them this past holiday season.
You love to see it.
This of course comes on the heels of Gasol dressing up as a Star Wars character for little Bianka’s birthday.
A lot of people said a lot of things after Kobe’s passing. And it undoubtedly meant a lot to the family. But the way Gasol has consistently continued to be there – that’s next level commitment and support.
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Gasol’s relationship with Kobe was truly unique. The latter was someone who didn’t really let people in, but even he couldn’t deny the bond he and his Spanish teammate had.
Over the past few years Gasol has spoken quite openly about the two sides of Kobe that most didn’t know about, including the first time he ever saw his best friend tear up.
Vanessa has obviously been through so much over the past few years. Losing Kobe and Gianna. Waging legal war against her own mother. The horrible allegations L.A. County made against her. The way fans keep harping on her appearance changing. It has been one thing after another.
Through it all, though – Vanessa has maintained about as much poise and grace as anyone can under the circumstances. She even took time out of her busy schedule to save Kobe’s fans in truly heroic fashion.
— Game 7 (@game7__) January 17, 2023
And a big reason why she has been able to do this is the unwavering support Gasol and his family have offered her.
Time will tell what the future holds for all parties involved, but it is truly special to see how intertwined the Bryants and Gasols are these days.
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A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
