Pau Gasol honored his late friend and former teammate Kobe Bryant by naming his newborn daughter after Gianna Bryant.
Gasol and his wife, Cat McDonnell, announced the arrival of their daughter, Elisabet Gianna Gasol, on Sunday. In his post, Gasol wrote about the significance of his daughter's name.
"Our little one has finally arrived!! The delivery went really well and we couldn’t be happier!! Elisabet Gianna Gasol 😍, a very meaningful name for our super beautiful daughter!! ❤️👨👩👧 #girldad" he wrote.
Budding basketball star Gianna, aka Gigi, died alongside her father Kobe Bryant and seven others in a helicopter crash in January 2020.
Kobe Bryant's widow, Vanessa Bryant, shared her appreciation for Gasol's daughter's name choice in a congratulatory post for Gasol and his wife Cat.
"My goddaughter is here!!!! Kob would’ve loved to have been her godfather," Bryant wrote. "Congratulations @paugasol @catmcdonnell7 Love you 3 so much!"
"So touched by your request to honor my Gigi," she added. "Can’t wait to hold Elisabet Gianna Gasol ❤️ 9/10/20 #girldad #girlmom."
Kobe Bryant and Gasol played on the Los Angeles Lakers together from 2008 to 2014 and won two NBA championships together.
MORE: WNBA stars Diana Taurasi and Sabrina Ionescu pay tribute to Kobe BryantSince Bryant's passing, Gasol and the Bryant family have appeared to lean on one another for comfort and support. Gasol shared a photo in August featuring his wife with Vanessa and her 3 daughters, Natalia, 17, Bianka, 3, and 1-year-old Capri.
"My wife, my future baby, my sister and my nieces," Gasol captioned the snap. "So much beauty in one picture #Family ❤️"
