Los Angeles Lakers icon Kobe Bryant was known for his competitive mentality during his playing career. His desire to win is unmatched, hence the Mamba Mentality. Pau Gasol–who played alongside Kobe for years and developed a friendship with him–opened up about that side of  Bryant and shared how the LA legend showed that competitiveness right from the start.

In his latest appearance on The Old Man & The Three Podcast, Gasol reminisced the time he was traded to the Lakers from the Memphis Grizzlies. Apparently, Bryant insisted on talking to him right after the trade, so much so that they met in the middle of the night right in the first day he joined the team.

And what did Bryant say to Gasol? It's time to win a championship.

“From the very moment that I joined the team in Washington, where I got to the hotel around 1 a.m. and the team was playing at noon the next day, he [Kobe Bryant] texted me to say ‘Hey, whenever you get to the hotel, whenever you're done with your interviews, call me. I'm coming up to your room,'” Gasol shared.

“I was like, ‘Well, it's going to be really late. You sure you want to wait until the next morning?' He's like, ‘no, no, I'm coming.' So I got to the hotel and I went through the interviews. And then once I got to the room and texted him … He came up and from the very beginning, he's like: ‘Look, I'm very happy that you're here. Let's acknowledge that. I'm very happy–very excited that you're here. But now let's go fucking win–let's go win a title.”

According to Pau Gasol, Kobe Bryant also understands his frustrations after his lack of success with the Grizzlies, presenting the trade to the Lakers as an opportunity to really win it all. The Spain international admitted it “hooked” him right from the start, adding that he appreciates how the former Purple and Gold guard didn't wait until the next day to tell him that.

It's definitely one of the best Kobe stories out there, and it perfectly shows the Mamba Mentality that he popularized.

Even more amazingly, it didn't take long for Gasol to help Kobe and the Lakers to win a championship. He was traded to the team in 2008 and immediately made an impact, powering the team to the NBA Finals. They did lose to the Boston Celtics for the Larry O'Brien trophy, but they came back with a vengeance the following campaign.

During the 2008-09 season, he played in all 81 games and averaged 18.9 points, 9.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.0 block per game. Gasol and the Lakers then went on to return to the NBA Finals where they took down the Orlando Magic in five games.

The Kobe-Pau duo won another championship in 2010, establishing themselves as one of the most dangerous pairs in the NBA. Their partnership lasted until the 2013-14 season, after which the All-Star forward signed with the Chicago Bulls as a free agent.

While the two separated after that, their friendship stayed and they considered each other as brothers. Ever since Kobe passed away in the tragic helicopter crash in January 2020, Gasol has been there for the Bryant family and has supported them throughout. He has also spoken fondly of his former Lakers teammates and shared a lot of stories and lessons he learned from him during their time together.