Pau Gasol gave his baby girl a name he knows she’ll live up to. The NBA player revealed on Instagram on Sunday that he and his wife, Catherine McDonnell, named their newborn daughter Elisabet Gianna Gasol, with her middle name honoring Gianna Bryant. Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, died in a helicopter crash alongside seven others in January.
“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,” Gasol wrote on Instagram.
Gasol played on the Los Angeles Lakers with Kobe from 2008 to 2014. Kobe’s wife, Vanessa, reacted to Gasol naming his daughter after hers in a heartfelt post on her Instagram.
“My goddaughter is here!!!! Congratulations @paugasol @catmcdonnell7 Love you 3 so much! So touched by your request to honor my Gigi,” Vanessa wrote. “Can’t wait to hold Elisabet Gianna Gasol.”
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Nuestra pequeña ya está con nosotros! Todo ha ido muy bien y no podemos estar más felices!! Elisabet Gianna Gasol ?, un nombre con mucho significado para nuestra preciosa hija!! ❤️??? #Padredeniña 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
A post shared by Pau (@paugasol) on Sep 13, 2020 at 1:27pm PDT
Kobe and Vanessa’s oldest daughter, Natalia, also shared the same photo on her Instagram Story. “Forever God Sisters,” she wrote.
Gasol’s Instagram is full of memories of Kobe, and he was close with the NBA legend as well as his family.
“My wife, my future baby, my sister and my nieces. So much beauty in one picture #Family ❤️,” he captioned a photo of McDonnell, Vanessa with Natalia, Bianka and Capri last month.
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My wife, my future baby, my sister and my nieces. So much beauty in one picture #Family ❤️
A post shared by Pau (@paugasol) on Aug 21, 2020 at 12:42pm PDT
Like her father, Gianna, nicknamed Gigi, had a passion for basketball. She was nicknamed “Mambacita” after Kobe’s “Black Mamba” moniker and Kobe already had big plans for his daughter, who had dreams of making it to the WNBA.
