Pau Gasol's jersey was officially retired by the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night, his No. 16 taking its place right alongside longtime teammate Kobe Bryant's No. 24.
The bond between Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash in January 2020 at 41, and the big man from Spain was strong and the emotion showed for the 42-year-old Gasol during Tuesday night's ceremony.
"I can't go on without talking about the person and the face that I don't see. The brother that elevated me, inspired me, challenged me to be a better player – just to be a better man overall," Gasol said during the halftime ceremony as "Kobe" chants broke out amongst the crowd at Crytpo.com Arena.
