Pau Gasol Says Kobe Bryant Would've Ran Through His Grandmother To Win Gold In 2008

Pau Gasol said Kobe Bryant would've done anything to win a gold medal at the Olympic Games in 2008, even if it meant running through his grandmother.

"If it meant that his grandma would've been between him and the gold medal, that's it," Gasol said on "Inside The Green Room." "It's business. He was a cold-blooded competitor and he set the tone for generations."

Gasol and Bryant were teammates on the Lakers from 2008-2014. Two months after they lost to the Boston Celtics in The Finals in 2008, they played each other in the championship game at The Olympics in Beijing.

Gasol said nothing was going to stop Bryant from his goal that summer, not even their friendship.

At the top of the U.S. men's basketball team's final game against Spain, Bryant brutally knocked over Gasol as he was setting a screen, sending him crashing onto the hardwood.

"He never tried to get around the screen, he just went right through me and said, ‘I’ll take the foul. It's fine. But I'm going to send a message.'" Gasol said.

After the Olympics, Bryant admitted to Gasol that he wanted to rough him up.

"He told Dwight Howard and Chris Bosh, 'Just beat the crap out of him. All game long, be extra physical with him. Just wear him out. Just every chance you get, just hit him, hit him, hit him,'" Gasol said.

Bryant's "Redeem Team" went undefeated that summer en route to a gold medal. Bryant hung his medal in Gasol's locker at the start of training camp the following fall as a reminder of what he needed to work on.

Gasol and Bryant went on to win two NBA championships together in 2009 and 2010. They were close friends and always shared a deep mutual respect.

After Bryant died in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26, Gasol was devastated and didn't speak to anyone for days. He sent flowers to Bryant's wife Vanessa on their wedding anniversary last month and he recently wrote about Bryant in an article for the Players' Tribune, saying we all need Bryant's mentality during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I’m really missing Kobe these days, and the things he taught me are louder than ever in my mind, and in my heart,” Gasol wrote.

Gasol said Bryant was the most competitive person he's ever met. He would do anything to accomplish his goals.

“We would have dinner and it would be 11 p.m., midnight, and he would say ‘I’m going to hit the weight room’ when you’re thinking about ‘I’m ready to hit the bed, you know, I’m tired.’" Gasol said. "It doesn’t even cross your mind to try and hit the weight room or anything like that. But he would do that pretty much at all times and it was just incredible, and proof of how much he wanted it. How badly he wanted to be the best, to win and it was inspiring. It was contagious."

Gasol said that Bryant deeply influenced his life.

"He brought the best out of a lot of guys, including myself," Gasol said. "He brought a different level to everyone because he set that tone.”