Pau Gasol (right) and Kobe Bryant were teammates from the 2007-08 season through the 2013-14 campaign. Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports

Pau Gasol names newborn daughter after Gianna Bryant

By Erin Walsh | Last updated 9/13/20

Former Los Angeles Laker star Pau Gasol was very close with Kobe Bryant and still remains close with the NBA legend's family today.

After spending plenty of time with the Bryant family since Kobe's death, Gasol revealed on Sunday that he's honoring Gianna Bryant in a very special way. The 40-year-old and his wife named their newborn daughter Elisabet Gianna Gasol after Gianna Bryant, who also died in the tragic helicopter crash in January that killed her father and seven other people.

Our little one has finally arrived!! The delivery went really well and we couldn’t be happier!! Elisabet Gianna Gasol , a very meaningful name for our super beautiful daughter!! ❤️‍‍ #girldad pic.twitter.com/rmXWk0BTFz
— Pau Gasol (@paugasol) September 13, 2020

Gasol and Bryant were teammates from the 2007-08 season through the 2013-14 campaign. They won NBA championships together in 2009 and 2010.

Bryant and his daughter have been honored in various ways since they died. Many murals have popped up around Los Angeles, and one even surfaced in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Shaquille O'Neal also created a shrine to Bryant in his home.

Bryant will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021 after the 2020 ceremony was postponed due to the coronavirus.

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