Here’s another tale of “One man’s loss is another man’s gain.” Basketball player Pau Gasol has been named flag bearer of the Spanish delegation by the Spanish Olympic committee following Rafael Nadal’s withdrawal from the Games because of his knee injury.
Gasol, who plays power forward for the Los Angeles Lakers, returned from the Beijing 2008 Olympics with silver. During these games, it’ll be fun to see Spain and the United States face off, with Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol on opposing teams, considering they’re Lakers team mates the rest of the year.
In the run-up to this duel of epic proportions, Gasol had nothing but praise for Kobe on Twitter: “Thanks Kobe! It’s a pleasure to play with you game after game. Go Lakers”
As for Rafa, who was particularly downcast following his forfeit, he thanked his millions of fans this weekend on Facebook: “Last days have been very hard… Thanks to all for your support messages!!!”
We’re crushed too Rafa!
