Pro basketball player Pau Gasol just made his special bond with the family of Kobe Bryant even stronger, naming his first child with wife Cat McDonnell after the late Gianna Bryant.
"Our little one has finally arrived!! The delivery went really well and we couldn't be happier," Gasol, 40, announced on Instagram alongside two family photos. "Elisabet Gianna Gasol, a very meaningful name for our super beautiful daughter!!"
On her feed, McDonnell, 31, shared that their little one was born on Sept. 10.
"She made a quick and easy entrance on a VERY special day, her great-grandmother Elizabeth's 100th birthday and her mom and dad's 2nd engagement anniversary," she captioned her post. "We are already so in love with our sweet Ellie!!"
Vanessa Bryant commented her support for her loved ones. "Love you 3," she replied. "Congratulations."
Bryant also shared the happy news on her Instagram feed as well, revealing she's the godmother of the newborn baby girl.
"My goddaughter is here!!!! Congratulations @paugasol @catmcdonnell7 Love you 3 so much! So touched by your request to honor my Gigi," Bryant wrote to her 13.6 million followers."Can't wait to hold Elisabet Gianna Gasol."
Natalia Bryant also shared her love for the moment, sharing an Instagram Story with the caption, "Forever God Sisters."
Kobe Bryant and Gasol won championships together when they played for the Los Angeles Lakers, but they also forged a deep bond off the basketball court that went beyond just being teammates.
They both regularly referred to each other as "brothers," and in the months since Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna died in a helicopter crash, Gasol and his wife have stayed close to the Bryant family, treating Vanessa Bryant like a sister and their daughters Natalia, 17, Bianka, 4, and Capri Kobe, 1 as nieces.
In August, Vanessa Bryant and Gasol shared heartwarming photos on social media showing the family spending time together on a boat in San Francisco.
"My wife, my future baby, my sister and my nieces. So much beauty in one picture," Gasol captioned a photo of Bryant, her three girls and McDonnell, adding the hashtag #family.