Pau Gasol hanging with Kobe Bryant’s daughters is touching

Pau Gasol spending time with Kobe Bryant‘s daughters is a truly heartwarming sight.

Even several months after the tragic passing of Kobe Bryant and his talented daughter Gigi, the sports world continues to mourn. To call it heartbreaking would be an understatement, with millions still sad over the loss. This of course includes former Los Angeles Lakers big man Pau Gasol.

He and Bryant were extremely close during their seven years together with the Lakers. Gasol wasn’t just close with Kobe, though. He had a tight relationship with the entire Bryant clan. That’s why seeing him hang out with Bryant’s daughters over the weekend was incredibly special.

Vanessa Bryant honored Pau Gasol for his birthday with a touching Instagram post.

In an emotional Instagram post, Vanessa Bryant shared photos of Gasol spending time with daughters Natalia, Capri and Bianka. Her post was also celebrating the former All-Star’s 40th birthday, making things even more tear-jerking.

Her caption read: Happy 40th birthday uncle Pau! We love you. Love, the Bryant Girls. I know Kobe would say, “Happy 40th Pablo! Love You.”

That’s about as touching as it gets, and you can see from the photos above just how much the interaction meant to both Gasol and Bryant’s daughters.

As close as Bryant and Gasol were off the court, they had even more chemistry on it. During their time together with the Lakers, the two standouts powered the team to two NBA titles, going back to back in 2009 and 2010 and helping restore the franchise to its former glory.

Gasol averaged 18.9 points and 18.3 points, respectively, during those two campaigns. He was also an All-Star three times during his time with LA. As good as he was donning a Lakers uniform, he’ll always be Uncle Pau to Bryant’s family and his little girls.