By TIM DAVID HARVEY.
"Kobe taught us to be better. Better dreamer. Better waker. Better stretcher. Better walker. Better talker. Better walking the walk and talking the talk. Better blocker (what's up my DPOY?). Better sprinter. Better loser. Better winner. Just. Be. Better (GiGi...throat lump). Better form. Better focus. Better friend." Kendrick Lamar, Nike 'Better' #MambaForever commercial spot.
Perfect. Pau Gasol probably the most underrated Los Angeles Laker of all-time, especially in their legendary lineage of big men is also one of the NBA's nicest legends. The former second best European player ever until Luka came along (kid is just that good) was recently seen with his fiancée Catherine McDonnell on a boat like T-Pain with Vanessa Bryant and her children. His late teammate and best friend, Laker and NBA legend Kobe Bryant's three daughters. GiGi's three sisters. Striking a pose with his youngest like when the little one who looks so like Bean was lifted up by Pau a few weeks prior like 'The Lion King' for the Black Mamba's cub. Back when he visited the Bryant home like when Sabrina Ionescu's Tik Tok at the house of Mamba was adorably crashed, Pau even got a seat at the table. The doll tea party table like the man who needs to be brought back for one last go round with the Lakers before his 16 gets raised to the rafters next to 24 and 8 was about to lead the league in back trouble. Pau visiting the Bryant family on Kobe's 40th. Tears. It's the kind of sweet solidarity like support to the grieving Bryant's that we all need in this truly terrible and horrible and heartbreaking year were we've lost everyone from the Black Mamba to the Black Panther, whilst screaming Black Lives Matter in this coronavirus crippled calendar that began with the Kobe, GiGi and their friends family tragedy. Can you imagine a Basketball brotherhood and a bond more beautiful than the Spaniard and the kid from Italy?
Summer league, class of '96. Point role playing God, Los Angeles Sparks coach and clutch King, Derek Fisher from 0.4 told SLAM magazine that in their co-rookie year of 1996 he and Kob' balled out on everyone, rolling in Vegas. D-Fish and Bean Bryant went on to be one of the best backcourts from the Forum's of purple to gold in STAPLES. Three-peating together with Horry, Fox and the big fella, before reuniting half a decade after the death of a dynasty for a couple more. But when it came to big dynamic duos, friend or foe, nothing touched the greatest Laker and NBA one/two punch partnership of all-time in Shaq and Kobe. No L.B.J and A.D. or even Magic and Kareem, Wilt or West comes close like Common and Mary J. Blige. Even if the King can spike Westbrook with a dunk and then chase him down for a volleyball block, there's no Laker like the late, dearly departed, two fingers kissed in the air, "Mamba Out" Kobe. Besides H-Town still stomped the Lake Show in the Bubbling Game 1 of the West semis like a blazing first round almost knockout Portland. A team Shaq and Kobe used to throw alley oops on until Shaq pointed at Kobe and his son Shareef with two raised arms and wide eyes. Bryant and O'Neal dominated over twin towers of David Robinson and Tim Duncan like the storied Celtics to be the Lord Of The Rings. Jumping into each others arms before winning a Holy Trinity with Coach Phil Jackson like the G.O.A.T. M.J. with legendary back-ups like Horace Grant and Kobe's "mentor" Ron Harper. But Shaq and Kobe fell out like loose change in torn pockets and this Hollywood divorce lead to a script flip to the talents of South Beach and a Corvette meeting a brick wall like a purple Prince did a girl with a second hand raspberry beret. Still these two fond friends with as many similarities as differences (that's kind of why we all clash sometimes) got back together like 'Hotel California'. First as make friends, never ever break friends and then co-All Star Game MVP's in where else but the STAPLES of Los Angeles as everyone hoped for a Laker reunion which would of been the most compelling, closing chapter, but sadly like answering a Shakeapeare question was this time not meant to be.
So Kobe had a big hole to fill in the center of his Hollywood attention and even rolling with a magic versatile seven foot 'Six Man Of The Year' in Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum (for long) and Dwight Howard (yet) weren't going to quite cut it. Kobe needed more with all due respect to Brian Grant (the former blazing Portland Shaq battling dreaded rival, who was battling more on his way to retirement before his biggest and bravest fight against Parkinson's disease) and Chris Mihm (who smoothly down low we will always love). He found it when the Lakers traded a few spare parts and what would have been a big addition in drafted brother Marc Gasol for his bigger sibling from Spain, the power of Pau Gasol. "I'm not going to war with butter knives anymore", Kobe told press as he took through the tunnel with even more meaning following him and the gasoline of Gasol clicking quicker than switching on the gas. These two were cooking and to think the Lakers almost traded number 16 for the nixed, what would have been the best backcourt in future Los Angeles (Clipper) and maybe 'Bron banana boat teammate like 'Melo should have been, CP3. "WoW"! Kobe and Pau communicating in whatever language lost the opponent in translation as they went in transition even had their own Shaq sized Portland move at STAPLES in the pain for the canvas of their court artwork. Although this one was more subtle in its sympatico synchronicity. Pau's eyes as wide as Shaq but with animalistic animation as the man with the wild hair went crazy with those eyes that vision and those pupils that kind of look like the student of a certain way of thinking as these two on their way to two of their own took everyone to school (like Jordan said about Pippen in 'The Last Dance' Kobe, "doesn't win those rings without Pau"). Mamba Mentality. That's what it looked like and these two arm in arm from down court to downtown Toronto for their last meeting on the spotlight of the floor for Canada's All Star game appeared to be so much more. Better friend? No, Derek and Shaquille need their all due respect. Best friend? Forever.
#TheKobeSeries
