Kobe Bryant will forever be considered one of the greatest players to have ever picked up a basketball. As it turns out, the Los Angeles Lakers icon was never really the best teammate — at least when it comes to building close personal relationships off the court.

Pau Gasol, a fellow Lakers icon, was one of the few who was able to break down Kobe's wall. Gasol and Bryant became extremely close during their time together as teammates in LA, which, according to Gasol himself, was not really the case for everyone on the squad (h/t Melissa Rohlin of FOX Sports):

That trade paired Gasol with Kobe Bryant in 2008, two teammates who would win championships together in 2009 and 2010 and forge a deep friendship, something Gasol acknowledged was “not easy to do” with Bryant.

Rohlin's article also noted that Kobe made an effort to “alienate” himself from most of his teammates. The Lakers star had one thing on his mind: winning. Everything else was secondary, and, apparently, building friendships with his teammates was anything but a priority for Bryant.

Be that as it may, Gasol was still able to see and work past Kobe's facade. The pair eventually forged a strong bond — one that went over and beyond Bryant's untimely passing in 2020. To this very day, Pau Gasol still continues to mourn the passing of one of his best friends. He takes comfort in knowing that Kobe's legacy — both on and off the floor — will continue to live on.