Pau Gasol has always been one of the more calm and composed players on the Lakers and even in the entire NBA. However, after Friday night’s loss to the Orlando Magic, Pau was visibly upset and voiced his frustration with the media following the game.
Kobe Bryant chimed in on Gasol’s rant early Sunday morning and had some interesting words to say according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN:
Kobe says Pau had a "tantrum" in the locker room after the ORL loss & it was as frustrated he's ever seen him, but credited him for caring
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) January 26, 2014
Gasol and Bryant have arguably been the closest teammates in Lakers history as both have continuously defended each other throughout their time together. Bryant has been known to come out and try to motivate Gasol by calling him out to the media, even going as far as telling him to “put his big boy pants on.”
Gasol is facing his first time on a non-playoff caliber team since his years in Memphis. As the losses continue to mount, especially against sub-par talent teams such as the Magic, the Lakers frustration has continued to grow. Gasol has been trying to elevate his game to help lift the Lakers out of their recent struggles as he has been stellar in 13 January games averaging 22.2 points, 12.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.6 blocks per game.
With the seven-game Grammy road trip coming to an end after Sunday’s game and the possibility of Bryant and Steve Nash returning soon, Gasol will hopefully have some added help to try to turn things around.
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