Pau Gasol reflects on trance he was in when he learned of Kobe Bryants death – ClutchPoints

Nearing the one-year anniversary of Kobe Bryants passing, his former Los Angeles Lakers teammate and close friend in Pau Gasol took the courage to narrate his experience after hearing the tragic news.

You start getting in this trance where youre completely frozen, he said via ESPN. Youre just stuck in complete shock. You cant believe it. I still for days, weeks, I still didnt want to believe it.

Like many others, Gasol also had the belief that theLakers legend couldve found a way to get out of the accident. Unfortunately, reports eventually emerged that no one managed to make it out alive of the crashed helicopter.

You still thought that Kobe could have gotten out of that accident by his own feet and carried his daughter and if there were any other survivors with him to the hospital.

We had that perception of him as that strong, as that invincible. If someone could have survived it, it was him.

Although he was still in utter shock and disbelief, Gasol and his family didnt waste any time as they immediately packed their bags and headed to California to be around Kobes wife, Vanessa, and their children.

We just booked a flight [to California], he said. We decided we needed to be there and we left. We didnt know if we were leaving for a week, two weeks or a month, but we needed to be there.

Gasol was one of the few players who were lucky enough to get to know Bryant on a deeper level. The two players spent six and a half years together with the Lakers and have won two-straight championships along the way.

Their bond eventually grew beyond mere teammates on the floor and even became close with each others families. As one of Bryants closest friends, Gasol simply knew that he had a responsibility to be around his former teammates family during those trying times.

We wanted to be close to Vanessa and the kids and be there, as Uncle Pau, for whatever they needed.

Pau Gasols presence around Kobe Bryants family only speaks volumes about the special bond that they have formed all throughout the years.

Originally posted here:

Pau Gasol reflects on trance he was in when he learned of Kobe Bryants death - ClutchPoints