The pairing of Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol in Los Angeles has been a five-year tale of championship glory and bitter frustration.
But a trade for future Hall of Famer Steve Nash has immediately resurrected one of the deadliest duos in basketball, and Bryant knows it.
Rewind to the 2012 NBA Playoffs for a moment.
It was Kobe Bryantâ€"flag bearer for the Lakers organizationâ€"openly questioning Pau Gasol's performance in the Thunder and Nuggets series.
Gasol, it was viewed, was not looking for his shot, lacking aggressiveness and executing below the world-class standard expected of the 11-year veteran.
Few expressed as much frustration for Gasol's timid play as No. 24, and Gasol inevitably found himself on the tip of every trade rumor during the Lakers' second-straight season of disappointment.
Fast forward a mere two-and-a-half months later with the basketball world focused on the 2012 London Olympics.
Would Pau Gasolâ€"flag bearer for his native country Spainâ€"still be the ire of Bryant on the international stage?
"As long as I'm [with the Lakers], [Pau's] going to be there," Kobe confirmed when asked by reporters during training for the London Olympics.
Asked again of Pau's future a week later, Bryant still stood strong: "If they want to get rid of him, [the Lakers] have to get rid of me first."
Photo courtesy of www.facebook.com/Kobe
Defying the skeptics doubtful of Gasol's ability to regain elite status, Bryant drew a firm line in the sand.
And standing right beside the five-time NBA champion, as he has for so many hard-fought playoff series, was his Spanish comrade and main amigo of five years.
"Proud of mi hermano," Bryant's Facebook page read as the two posed for a memorable photo at the Olympic opening ceremonies (pictured).
It's hard to recall the last time Bryant appeared so excited to play alongside Gasol.
Perhaps it was February 2008, when Bryant learned of Mitch Kupchak's blockbuster trade that sent the seven-foot Spaniard halfway across the country from Memphis to Los Angeles.
Half a decade later, we've come full circle with the Kobe Bryant/Pau Gasol experiment, and the prospects may be just as bright as they were in 2008.
Bryant's basis for elation is without question the man sporting the Lakers' No. 10 jerseyâ€"passmaster and point-guard extraordinaire Steve Nash.
A motion, Princeton-style offense initiated by Nash will do wonders for Gasol's overall game and can reintroduce the Black Swan responsible for two championship outings during the Lakers' 2009-10 campaigns.
Nash gives Gasol the ability to operate out of the pick-and-roll, pass from the high-post and look for his shot more easilyâ€"facets he struggled with under first-year Lakers head coach Mike Brown's twin tower offense.
Bryant and Gasol are so excited to get back on the floor together they've already discussed this new offensive system (via Adrian Wojnarowski Yahoo Sports) over dinner in Barcelona.
For Laker fans who witnessed the decline of Spain's greatest basketball icon the past two years, a place back in prominence for Gasol and the team's deadliest duo would be a welcomed development.
And all it took was the arrival of the NBA's greatest Canadian-born player to make this pairing's improbably rebirth a reality.
Yes, London is currently showcasing the finest international basketball talents this summer, but Staples Center will be home to the most exciting international basketball come October.
Based on his recent comments from Team USA, like the rest of us, Kobe Bryant can't wait.
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