The time Kobe Bryant hung his gold medal in Pau Gasol’s locker after Olympics
Pau Gasol takes incredible pride in representing Spain on the international stage — he still wants to play for them in the World Cup next summer, when he will be 39. He has a FIBA World Cup title and three EuroBasket titles for Spain, plus two Olympics silver medals. Both silvers because of losses to the USA in the Gold Medal game.
Kobe Bryant beat Gasol for one of those gold medals in 2008 in Beijing. Then Kobe tormented him with it, and used it as that particular Kobe style of motivation, via 24/7 Sports.
“One of my favorite ones, Pau hates it every time I tell this story,” Bryant recalls. “He hates it. We lost to the Celtics in ’08 and it was a physical series. I mean they beat the crap out of us. We go into the Olympic year, that year, we wind up playing Spain for the gold-medal match and we beat them. So now we come back to start training camp and Pau shows up first day of training camp, I have my gold medal hanging in his locker.
“The one thing he truly, truly love is his country. That is like everything to him. So it just drove him crazy. He said ‘You’re an ass—!’ I said, ‘Listen Pau, you lost to the Celtics, you lost to us in the gold-medal match, let’s not make this three in a row this year. Let’s win this thing.’ That was it for him.
“Pau was a phenomenon to begin with. For him, it was just stepping up a level of physicality, that we needed him to get to, which he did and we went on to win back-to-back championships.”
Kobe has told this story before. Gasol isn’t exactly motivated by the same strategies as Kobe, either — no doubt he got the message, but Kobe didn’t need to do it that way to motivate Gasol. That’s just Kobe. And he can be a bit of an ass—-.
But the Lakers went on to win the next two titles, beating the Celtics in 2010, so the victors get to write the history.
Joined: 29 Jan 2016 Posts: 963 Location: The Dark Side of the Moon
Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2018 3:16 pm Post subject:
Funny I just listened to the podcast he shared that story on _________________ We pour this booze and we drink this booze because we think it's yummy. YUMMY! So over the tounge and down the throat to party in our tummys.
DOWN THE HOLA BITC*OLA!!!
Tomorrow Mykhailiuk will play as a starter for the national team Ukraine vs Spain.
And i didnt see Pau in the Spain roster
At his age, I'm sure he'd rather play when it's the real show. No one cares about winning the FIBA Championship or whatever it's called. _________________ “Christ did not die to forgive sinners who go on treasuring anything above seeing and savoring God. And people who would be happy in heaven if Christ were not there, will not be there."
- John Piper
That's a legitimate awful thing to do. _________________ If Brandon Knight were to come out, I would take him number 1 in the draft. - Magic Johnson Mar 27, 2011
For all of you out there questioning Jimmer Fredette of BYU, he is the real deal. - Magic Johnson Mar 20, 2011
Tomorrow Mykhailiuk will play as a starter for the national team Ukraine vs Spain.
And i didnt see Pau in the Spain roster
At his age, I'm sure he'd rather play when it's the real show. No one cares about winning the FIBA Championship or whatever it's called.
It's the World Cup Qualifiers, no need to waste their best players. Spain lead their group by a country mile even playing with their second team. _________________ ....
Because if you can't go out there and play for the gold medal anytime soon. you sure as hell want to win anything else thats out there. like a championship. That would piss you off just enough to go all out when the times comes in the finals. which he did. Like they said, gasol was already a baller. he had all the skills in the world. he knew when and how to use them. but because of his build and his nature. he wasnt a physical guy. because the rule would always change the moment the lakers had to play a so called east coast physical team. pau had no choice but to either be pushed around or do the pushing. his choice.
Kobe always was a jerk, but that's part of what made him different. I tend to think more like Coach Wooden: keep that hazing crap outta here.
Hope you are not serious. Kobe may have been a jerk at times but this “hazing” is far from one of them. Not sure it even qualifies as such. What made him different was his level of commitment to be competitive. This is a great example!
Professional athletes keep score during games too. Likely bruises the egos of those on the losing side. Is that ok or are they jerks too!
Joined: 02 Jun 2009 Posts: 2415 Location: Far from home
Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2018 5:38 am Post subject:
kobeandgary wrote:
70sdude wrote:
Kobe always was a jerk, but that's part of what made him different. I tend to think more like Coach Wooden: keep that hazing crap outta here.
I would have done the same. If you can't mess with your teammates then what's the point?
My career in labor law taught me that knuckleheads with power (Kobe and many others like him) get away with inappropriate behavior in the workplace (harassment) like that far too often. _________________ “These GOAT discussions are fun distractions while sitting around waiting for the pizza to be served.”
Kobe always was a jerk, but that's part of what made him different. I tend to think more like Coach Wooden: keep that hazing crap outta here.
I would have done the same. If you can't mess with your teammates then what's the point?
My career in labor law taught me that knuckleheads with power (Kobe and many others like him) get away with inappropriate behavior in the workplace (harassment) like that far too often.
Doesn't your specific background define your perspective, perhaps even create a bias on how you view the world?
I see this "knucklehead" behavior as teammates talking crap to one another. Trash talk is a part of sports and in many areas of life between friends.
Perhaps my optics are off because I do not view the world as a series of inappropriate power struggles as a labor lawyer or Union rep has to.
In reading that article, I am not seeing Gasol being "bullied" as others seem to be. Even the assertions that "it drove Gasol crazy". Way too loose definition of harassment in the workplace IMO.
If that is your standard of harassment then wouldn't any Championship celebration also be? They are "taunting " the losers with all those Championship hats, shirts and trophy presentation? Is it harassment when any player talks crap about beating another in the Finals a decade or two later?
If I jump up on the table at work and scream "get that crap out of here" you got a case. If I do it on the court with my friends I get a shove and he's buying the first beer afterwards.
Different worlds have different standards. Kobe was being competitive in his competitive world. Probably why Gasol didn't seek out a labor attorney to resolve it.
Joined: 04 May 2017 Posts: 3077 Location: The Left Coast
Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2018 7:32 am Post subject:
Four Decade Bandwagon wrote:
Wilkes52 wrote:
kobeandgary wrote:
70sdude wrote:
Kobe always was a jerk, but that's part of what made him different. I tend to think more like Coach Wooden: keep that hazing crap outta here.
I would have done the same. If you can't mess with your teammates then what's the point?
My career in labor law taught me that knuckleheads with power (Kobe and many others like him) get away with inappropriate behavior in the workplace (harassment) like that far too often.
Doesn't your specific background define your perspective, perhaps even create a bias on how you view the world?
I see this "knucklehead" behavior as teammates talking crap to one another. Trash talk is a part of sports and in many areas of life between friends.
Perhaps my optics are off because I do not view the world as a series of inappropriate power struggles as a labor lawyer or Union rep has to.
In reading that article, I am not seeing Gasol being "bullied" as others seem to be. Even the assertions that "it drove Gasol crazy". Way too loose definition of harassment in the workplace IMO.
If that is your standard of harassment then wouldn't any Championship celebration also be? They are "taunting " the losers with all those Championship hats, shirts and trophy presentation? Is it harassment when any player talks crap about beating another in the Finals a decade or two later?
If I jump up on the table at work and scream "get that crap out of here" you got a case. If I do it on the court with my friends I get a shove and he's buying the first beer afterwards.
Different worlds have different standards. Kobe was being competitive in his competitive world. Probably why Gasol didn't seek out a labor attorney to resolve it.
Kobe always was a jerk, but that's part of what made him different. I tend to think more like Coach Wooden: keep that hazing crap outta here.
I would have done the same. If you can't mess with your teammates then what's the point?
My career in labor law taught me that knuckleheads with power (Kobe and many others like him) get away with inappropriate behavior in the workplace (harassment) like that far too often.
Doesn't your specific background define your perspective, perhaps even create a bias on how you view the world?
I see this "knucklehead" behavior as teammates talking crap to one another. Trash talk is a part of sports and in many areas of life between friends.
Perhaps my optics are off because I do not view the world as a series of inappropriate power struggles as a labor lawyer or Union rep has to.
In reading that article, I am not seeing Gasol being "bullied" as others seem to be. Even the assertions that "it drove Gasol crazy". Way too loose definition of harassment in the workplace IMO.
If that is your standard of harassment then wouldn't any Championship celebration also be? They are "taunting " the losers with all those Championship hats, shirts and trophy presentation? Is it harassment when any player talks crap about beating another in the Finals a decade or two later?
If I jump up on the table at work and scream "get that crap out of here" you got a case. If I do it on the court with my friends I get a shove and he's buying the first beer afterwards.
Different worlds have different standards. Kobe was being competitive in his competitive world. Probably why Gasol didn't seek out a labor attorney to resolve it.
Yeah, calling this "harassment" is a stretch. I just let a prospect go yesterday for sending sexually suggestive texts to one of my female employees, so this is something that is fresh on my mind. This guy was in for his first training day, and not even on the payroll yet. The idiot made my female employee leave work in tears at the end of her shift. We don't even know how he got her number. He will not be back. That is harassment.
What Kobe did is like if my manager went to a subordinate and said "I see you fell short on your last 2 sales targets and I hit mine quite easily *flashes benjamins* You can do better". Not harassment.
Kobe always was a jerk, but that's part of what made him different. I tend to think more like Coach Wooden: keep that hazing crap outta here.
I would have done the same. If you can't mess with your teammates then what's the point?
My career in labor law taught me that knuckleheads with power (Kobe and many others like him) get away with inappropriate behavior in the workplace (harassment) like that far too often.
Doesn't your specific background define your perspective, perhaps even create a bias on how you view the world?
I see this "knucklehead" behavior as teammates talking crap to one another. Trash talk is a part of sports and in many areas of life between friends.
Perhaps my optics are off because I do not view the world as a series of inappropriate power struggles as a labor lawyer or Union rep has to.
In reading that article, I am not seeing Gasol being "bullied" as others seem to be. Even the assertions that "it drove Gasol crazy". Way too loose definition of harassment in the workplace IMO.
If that is your standard of harassment then wouldn't any Championship celebration also be? They are "taunting " the losers with all those Championship hats, shirts and trophy presentation? Is it harassment when any player talks crap about beating another in the Finals a decade or two later?
If I jump up on the table at work and scream "get that crap out of here" you got a case. If I do it on the court with my friends I get a shove and he's buying the first beer afterwards.
Different worlds have different standards. Kobe was being competitive in his competitive world. Probably why Gasol didn't seek out a labor attorney to resolve it.
Yeah, calling this "harassment" is a stretch. I just let a prospect go yesterday for sending sexually suggestive texts to one of my female employees, so this is something that is fresh on my mind. This guy was in for his first training day, and not even on the payroll yet. The idiot made my female employee leave work in tears at the end of her shift. We don't even know how he got her number. He will not be back. That is harassment.
What Kobe did is like if my manager went to a subordinate and said "I see you fell short on your last 2 sales targets and I hit mine quite easily *flashes benjamins* You can do better". Not harassment.
change that you to a WE. people forget that part. WE can do better. because we need you to be great in order for US to win it all this year. so whatever it takes to light that fire under your butt. so be it. again, it worked. gasol was mad as hell and he showed it on the court.
Typical trash talking but feels like if the inverse had occurred (had Spain won the gold), this wouldn't have been as amusing and/or motivating to Kobe were Pau to have come in and do this.
Joined: 29 Jan 2016 Posts: 963 Location: The Dark Side of the Moon
Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2018 10:16 am Post subject:
Soft as charmin. _________________ We pour this booze and we drink this booze because we think it's yummy. YUMMY! So over the tounge and down the throat to party in our tummys.
DOWN THE HOLA BITC*OLA!!!
Typical trash talking but feels like if the inverse had occurred (had Spain won the gold), this wouldn't have been as amusing and/or motivating to Kobe were Pau to have come in and do this.
When did Kobe ever need to be motivated?
USA loses to Spain and Kobe would have been at the gym at midnight preparing for the next meeting. Likely after repeatedly challenging Gasol to a game of 1 on 1 or HORSE for big bucks per point to make it interesting.
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