Los Angeles Lakers star Pau Gasol inducted into Basketball Hall of Fame

Transcript

00:00 Los Angeles Lakers legend, Pao Gasol, has made it to this year's Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

00:05 An honor he dedicated to his long-gone but not forgotten teammate, Kobe Bryant.

00:11 Rafael Bandayrel shares the story.

00:13 Two-time NBA champion, Pao Gasol, has received one of the highest accolades in American

00:21 professional basketball after making it to the 2023 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

00:27 As Kobe Bryant's running mate, Gasol brought the Los Angeles Lakers to three finals appearances

00:33 that resulted to two titles in the years 2009 and 2010. It's no surprise then that in his

00:40 acceptance speech, the six-time NBA All-Star thanked his teammate Bryant, who died in a chopper

00:46 crash three years ago. "And that's where I got to know the person who elevated my game like no other.

00:54 Who taught me what it took to win at the highest level. Who showed me how hard you had to work

01:00 and the mentality you needed to have in order to be the best.

01:04 The commitment you had to make, what it meant and what it took to be a leader. Kobe." Gasol also

01:12 stressed that his achievements would not have been possible if it were not for Bryant. "I wouldn't be

01:17 here without you brother. I wish more than anything that you and Gigi were here today with us.

01:24 I miss you and love you." Aside from Gasol, included in batch 2023 are Dwayne Wade, Dirk

01:30 Nowitzki, Tony Parker, and basketball coaches Greg Popovich and Becky Hammond. Rafael Bandayrel for

01:37 the nation.