Kobe Bryant's Former Teammate Pau Gasol Names His Newborn Daughter after Gianna

NBA star Pau Gasol welcomed his first child with wife Catherine McDonnell and decided to name her after his former teammate Kobe Bryant's late daughter, Gianna, who died in a helicopter crash along with her father and several others.

Basketball star Pau Gasol was the happiest man on September 10, 2020, as he became a father for the first time after welcoming his first child with his wife, Catherine McDonnell.

The NBA player announced the happy news with an Instagram post. Sharing the sweetest pictures of his family of three, Gasol expressed his happiness over being a girl dad.

SO TOUCHING!

According to Gasol, the delivery went pretty well and both mother and child were doing great. He and McDonnell could not be any happier to welcome a healthy, beautiful baby girl into the world.

It was truly a piece of happy news for the NBA star's fans, but there was something else in the caption to his post that caught their eyes. With his daughter's arrival, he paid tribute to his former teammate, late Kobe Bryant, in a heart-touching way.

Gasol revealed that he and his wife had named their daughter Elisabet Gianna, a tribute to Kobe's late prodigal daughter Gianna who was well on her way to carry forth her father's legacy. In the caption, he wrote:

"Elisabet Gianna Gasol, a very meaningful name for our super beautiful daughter!!"

THEY WERE BROTHERS OFF-COURT

Meanwhile, McDonnell shared the news on her Instagram as well, revealing that her daughter had arrived on her great-grandmother Elizabeth's 100th birthday and her parents' second engagement anniversary.

Together, they led the Lakers to their first NBA finals in four years.

Gasol and Bryant's relationship went beyond basketball. They were brothers off the court and Gasol's family is pretty close to the Bryants. Last month, they all went sailing and had a great time together.

After Bryant's tragic death, Gasol was so heartbroken that he could not speak to anyone for days. He and his wife were going home after a basketball game when he heard from a friend that Bryant was no more.

THEIR PRECIOUS BOND

After getting home, Gasol started crying. He could not believe what had happened. The only person he could talk to was Bryant's ex-agent and Lakers vice president of basketball operations, Rob Pelinka.

After a midseason trade sent Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies to L.A., he and Bryant played together from 2008 to 2014. Together, they led the Lakers to their first NBA finals in four years.