Former NBA All-Star Pau Gasol delivered a powerful message through The Players' Tribune where he talked about using Kobe Bryant's mentality to get through the coronavirus.
The virus has pretty much forced everyone into lockdown. Sports — including the NBA — are either postponed or canceled, and people are worried about their jobs and future health.
Gasol, who was very close with Kobe prior to his tragic passing, says we should all embrace adversity as a challenge, just like how the Los Angeles Lakers icon did.
“Because someday, this crisis will pass. As we do everything we can now to flatten the curve, we must start to think about what comes after, too…Lives and livelihoods will have been lost. As we battle the virus now, we need to prepare for that reality on the horizon. And when that time comes, it would be a massive disservice to everyone who fought against the outbreak, and everyone who died from it, to have learned nothing from this,” the NBA veteran wrote.
“It makes me think about something I learned from a former teammate. The way he responded to setbacks was one of the most remarkable things I’ve seen in my life. He viewed adversity as a great teacher and an opportunity to grow.
“That teammate was Kobe Bryant.”
Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant were like brothers. They won two NBA championships together on the Lakers and played in three Finals.
As you would expect, Gasol took Bryant's death very hard, as did the entire NBA community. In a time like the coronavirus pandemic, staying positive and motivated to defeat it is the only way we can get through this. That's the attitude Kobe would have at least.
Kobe was named a Hall of Famer on Friday, along with Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett.
Follow Us
Subscribe