Pau Gasol - The emotional farewell letter to Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant played this morning the last game of his brilliant career. One of the best players in NBA history to put an end to his career after twenty years in the elite , of which six and a half shared with Pau Gasol, lograndos two rings. Those feats in the Lakers carved a great friendship between the two and now, hours of goodbye, Pau wanted to pay tribute to Kobe with a letter full of feelings and emotions.

LETTER INTEGRA PAU

"On my first day with the Lakers, I met the team at the Ritz in Washington DC and 1:30 am someone knocked on my door. That's how I discovered that Kobe does not sleep much. I sat on the bed, I think, and he sat at the table next to the television. He welcomed me to the team and told me it was time. It was time to win. He felt that I could take it to the top again and wanted to make sure I knew it. "This is our chance," he said. For me that meeting was very meaningful.

Much of the triangle offense is based on reading and understand each other. I understand the game. He was very meticulous with it. And I think he appreciated it . It was fresh air. Our relationship conceded from the start. We both knew we needed each other to succeed.

There are many games in the NBA, this causes it easy to get carried away. He kept us all at bay. In training he challenged people. He spoke ill of others. This does not hold everyone. Some players can not with this, but I did not care. It was his way of motivating us and push us to us to give more. It is easy to accommodate. He made ​​sure that no one did.

After losing the sixth game against the Celtics in late 2008, we did not talk much about it. It was time to digest what had happened and why we had fallen short and let the fire began to burn up inside. We arrived the next season with a different, more aggressive and more determined attitude, with a stronger focus. I think that was the reason we won the next two titles.

If you play with him every day you see a real example of why the great are great. It is not by chance. It's an obsession to reach a level and stay at that level. The dedication and commitment are unique. This is very difficult to find. He inspired me to be better and see the game in a more detailed way.

We beat the Magic in the finals of 2009 and everyone was happy, but it was different for him. He had a special meaning. Basketball was his life and win their devotion. I'm not saying that his family was not, because it means everything to him, but basketball led him inside.

At the time of the transfer of Chris Paul, in which I was a part but was canceled in December 2011, Kobe acted like a big brother, giving his face. At one point he told the Lakers, "if you're going to pass it, do what you have to do and pass it. If you do not transgress, let him play quietly. "

We did not stay much off the court, but in the end we had enough time to eat and remember encounters many things. When I was deciding whether or not the Lakers out in 2014, he came to my house in Redondo Beach. He told me he wanted me to stay in Los Angeles and fight him and terminase our careers together. Those were his words. I said I was in a time when I needed a change in my heart. I needed a change of scenery. Say "I choose not to play with you" it was one of the hardest things I've done in my life.

I signed with the Bulls because I wanted to have any chance of winning another title. But that has not been possible. I miss him. I miss his presence. I miss his attitude. Not many players have it.

The "White Swan", the "Black Swan", all those things do not bother me. I was not frustrated. I showed that I cared. It was a tough love. He challenged me because I expected more from me. When someone challenges you mean who cares about you. When you realize it is that you do not mind them. That's when you have to worry.

Maybe I'm a spoiled because I know what it is to feel the victory and I love that feeling. I changed the mood. It affects me. I think winning stretch out my career and motivate me to do more. Having been with Kobe has had an impact on my life. I'll be a free agent this summer and now I think about it. I want to take the years I have left. I want to be part of something special again. "