On Friday we passed along a report from Media Take Out that was cited by the OC Register saying part of Pau Gasol’s problems in the playoffs were related to personal issues with his girlfriend. Specifically, Pau was said to have broken up with his girlfriend and that part of the issue was a teammate’s wife had played a role in the breakup. The source of the report (Media Take Out) is known for throwing crap against the wall, but it seemed to gain authenticity when the OC Register endorsed it with a post on their site. Later, OC Register Lakers writer Kevin Ding asked Kobe and Pau for their thoughts on the report.
According to Ding, “Pau expressed dismay at “lies” reported about personal life upsetting people “very close to me.” “To me, it’s sad.”
In a related tweet, he wrote “Kobe dismissed theory about discord between his wife and Pau’s girlfriend: “They barely know each other.”
Kobe didn’t outright deny the story, but he dismissed it. Pau called the story a lie. Still, I wouldn’t close the book on this one. LBS sources say the relationship between the two men has changed somewhat. They used to be quite close in terms of their pregame routine, but our source says that has changed lately. Additionally, both men could be denying the story just to keep it out of the public’s eye. If you had told me a few years ago that Dirk was engaged to an ex-criminal who had conned him and that he found out about it during a playoff run, I would have told you you were crazy, but that turned out to be true. And if you had told me the teammate of the biggest superstar in the league slept with said teammate’s mother, I never would have believed you, but that by all accounts was true.
The story about Pau and his girlfriend breaking up (and Kobe’s wife being the cause) might not be true, but there are two things we know: the relationship between the men has changed recently, and the Lakers have struggled on the court. As we wrote before, that report could explain it.
Want to see more pictures of Pau’s girlfriend? go here
