Pau Gasol Kobe Bryant
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Paul Pierce claimed the late Kobe Bryant made his teammate in the Los Angeles Lakers Pau Gasol a ‘Hall of Famer’.

When Gasol joined the Lakers, he had the reputation of being soft. However, according to Pierce, Bryant made Gasol tougher and ‘a Hall of Famer’.

“We had four All-Stars. He (Kobe Bryant) had two, he had Pau Gasol, but he toughened Pau Gasol up. Because that first Finals, we ran through Pau Gasol. Kobe made him a Hall of Famer,” the legend of the Boston Celtics told Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson on the All The Smoke podcast.

Bryant and Gasol won back-to-back championships together on the Lakers (2009, 2010). Bryant died in a helicopter crash on January 26.