“Had some weapons before, now we just added a huge one” - Kobe Bryant ‘thanked God’ for sending Pau Gasol to LA Lakers

While Kobe Bryant wasn’t initially the LA Lakers leader, he played an integral part in building a winning culture inside the organization alongside Shaquille O’Neal. However, following their loss in the 2004 NBA Finals, a 26-year-old Kobe found himself as the No. 1 star on an abysmal team that missed the playoffs entirely courtesy of their 34-48 record.

Although from the ‘05-06 season, KB24 guided the Lakers back into the postseason, they were far from being serious championship contenders. Things changed drastically once when Pau Gasol arrived midway in the ‘07-08 season, providing Bryant the support of an actual No. 2 co-star. Witnessing the Spaniard complimenting him so well, Kobe could only thank god for finally adhering to all his desperate pleas.

Kobe was relieved to see Gasol arrive

During both seasons when the Lakers faced first-round playoff eliminations, Bryant led the league in scoring. However, the team’s offensive rating remained mediocre, ranking 8th in ‘05-06 and 7th in ‘06-07, as no other player managed to average even half of Kobe’s points total. This disparity fueled Bryant’s growing frustration, as he single-handedly was expected to bring out his ‘A-Game’ if the Purple and Gold were to win games.

However, the franchise’s fortunes changed dramatically in February 2008 when they acquired Pau from the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Javaris Crittenton, Kwame Brown, Aaron McKie, Marc Gasol's draft rights, and two first-round picks.

Pau’s impact was felt since his very first game as he dropped a 24-point and 12-rebound double-double to help lead the Lakers to a commanding 15-point win against the New Jersey Nets. His performance was even more impressive, considering Bryant had more turnovers (7) than successful field goals (3). As a result, for the 18-time All-Star, Gasol’s arrival brought immense relief, as if his long-standing prayers for a reliable and consistent co-star were finally answered.

"He just makes the game so much easier. We had some weapons before, now we just added a huge one to the team, " Kobe said . "We're getting big Bynum back… there is a God ."

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Pau Gasol was all that Kobe needed

When ‘ET’ made his debut for the Lakers, the team was 30-16. They finished the regular season by winning 27 of their remaining 36 games, gaining enough momentum to reach the 2008 NBA Finals.

Although Pau and Bryant did not win a title together in their first stint, they established a camaraderie that the rest of the league found incredibly difficult to break. Their bond extended off the court, and their similar mindsets allowed them to confuse opponents by conversing in Spanish during games.

Consequently, in the following two seasons, the Purple and Gold went on to clinch the championship. While Bean lifted the Finals MVP trophy each time, the 7’0” center’s contributions were crucial, averaging 18.6 points and 9.2 rebounds per game in the 2009 Finals and 18.6 points and 11.6 rebounds per game in the 2010 Finals.

If it wasn’t for the six-time All-Star, who knows where Bryant’s legacy would be amongst the all-time greats.

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