Pau Gasol is already a living history of the Lakers. The historic Los Angeles franchise will recognize the Spanish center this morning with one of the highest possible honors, hanging his jersey forever from the roof of the Staples Center and retiring the number ’16’ that he wore for six and a half seasons.
This is how the best Spanish player of all time will ascend to the purple and gold Olympus, a place of honor reserved for legends like his great friend Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or Shaquille O’Neal. They are all true myths in the mecca of basketball.
And it is that the player from Sant Boi once again breaks down a barrier almost a year and a half after the announcement of his retirement, in October 2021. Going beyond any limit was a constant throughout his career that is repeated now that he already lives far away from the park. He will be the first Spaniard with his number retired in an NBA franchise. And not just any franchise, but the most iconic and winning one in the history of the best league in the world.
The nomination to access the prestigious NBA Hall of Fame triggered the reaction of the Lakers to raise their figure within the franchise to the height of the best. The one from Sant Boi formed, together with another Laker legend like Kobe Bryant, a vintage pairing. Together they guided the Los Angeles team until the finals of 2008, months after the Spaniard’s arrival at Staples.
Kobe Bryant and Gasol, in one of their games together.
Reuters
The Boston Celtics of the ‘Big Three’ made up of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen stopped a team that became hegemonic the following season, chaining two consecutive titles between 2009 and 2010. They were the first two rings conquered by a Spaniard before that his brother Marc emulated the feat in 2019 with the Toronto Raptors and made thousands and thousands of Spaniards stay up all night, who for the first time felt that the astronomical basketball on the other side of the Atlantic was no longer so far away or so unattainable.
Pau Gasol’s career in the NBA
Those six and a half seasons in purple and gold marked the zenith of Pau Gasol’s career and left a deep impression on him that goes far beyond the pitch. In total, 429 games with the Lakers, 422 of them as a member of the starting five, 17.7 points and 9.9 rebounds per game, six playoffs played out of seven possible, three Western Conference titles and the jewel in the crown, two rings.
Kobe became, in the words of Spanish, the “older brother” who never had
That in terms of hard and fast numbers, forceful but cold data on paper. A friendship with Kobe Bryant who transcended basketball and who today, more than three years after the tragic helicopter accident that took the life of the Black Mamba at the age of 41, is moving in a special way.
Since that distant month of February 2008 in which Pau landed at Staples, Kobe, two years older than him and at that time the most dominant basketball player in the world, became, in the words of the Spaniard, the “older brother » which he never had. The ’24’ and the ’16’ understood each other with their eyes on the floor and maintained a complicit relationship away from the pavilion. This union has survived the death of the bodyguard, as meetings between the two families are common on special occasions such as Pau’s last birthday.
Jerseys retired by the Lakers.
NBA
Now, the Lakers jerseys with the ’16’ and ’24’ will be together again in the sky of Staples. Also the ‘8’ that Kobe Bryant wore until 2006 and with which he won three more rings between 2000 and 2002, another of the franchise’s most glorious times. At that time, the young Mamba formed another legendary duo with an interior very different from Pau Gasol, the devastating Shaquille O’Neal. The ‘center’ from New Jersey is also present at the home of the Lakers with his ’34’ in the heights.
They are not the only ones. They also have their numbers retired by the Los Angeles franchise Wilt Chamberlain (’13’), Elgin Baylor (’22’), Gail Goodrich (’25’), Magic Johnson (’32’), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (’33’) , James Worthy (’42’), Jerry West (’44’) and Jamaal Wilkes (’52’).
He is the only player in NBA history with two retired numbers. He played for the Lakers, his only team, for 20 seasons, and won five rings, two of them with Pau Gasol. Among his numerous milestones, he signed the second best score in history in a game (81 points), behind only Wilt Chamberlain. When his career began, in the 1996-97 season, he played with number 8, to spend a decade later wearing number 24. He retired with it in 2016, four years after losing his life at 41 in an accident helicopter.
His record of 100 points that he achieved in 1962 with the Philadelphia Warriors is one of the more than 70 historical records achieved by the legendary center, who died in 1999 at the age of 63. With the Lakers, with whom he played five seasons, he only won one ring (1972), but in addition to attacking, he also stood out defensively. With the star of the Los Angeles franchise, he came to sign 69 victories in a campaign, 33 of them consecutive. With the Lakers he also became the leading scorer in the NBA, until Kareem Abdul-Jabbar took over.
Considered among the 50 best players in the NBA, he was never proclaimed champion. He defended the Lakers throughout his career and shared a dressing room with Chamberlain, although he played few games with him, since in the middle of the 1971-72 season a knee injury precipitated his withdrawal and he was left without a ring. His record of 61 points in a league final match still stands. He died at the age of 86 in his Los Angeles home.
He was also a member of the Lakers of the 1971-72 season of the 33 consecutive wins, with him as the top scorer. In his first seasons with the Los Angeles team, he was a substitute for Jerry West and went to Phoenix, but after his return to the Lakers he was included in the best five in the NBA, where he scored more than 2,000 points. After his second stint with the Lakers he played in New Orleans, where he suffered an Achilles injury. He passed away at the age of 79.
The Lakers were the only team, during 13 seasons, of the brilliant Michigan point guard, who won five rings and was part of the United States ‘Dream Team’ at the Barcelona’92 Games. Magic marked the world sport in the 80’s with Larry Bird (Boston Celtics), among others. After being chosen as the best player in the NBA finals three times, as many times in the regular season and up to nine times in the best five in the League, in 1991 he revealed that he was a carrier of the AIDS virus and announced his professional retirement.
There were 14 seasons in which he played for the Lakers after a first stage in Milwaukee. Holder of six rings (five with the Los Angeles franchise), his historic scoring record (38,387 points) remained in force for almost 34 years, until on February 8 it was surpassed by LeBron James. He signed the legendary record in 1989, the year he retired, at the age of 42. He was also the top shooter, defensive rebounder and who played the most games and minutes in the history of the NB
He only spent seven seasons with the Lakers, but he won three titles, and later another one with the Miami Heat. The American giant (2.16 meters and 147 kilos) was one of the most decisive players in the North American league. On eight occasions he was chosen in the best five in the NBA and proclaimed the best player in the finals, three consecutive years (2000, 2001 and 2022). With the Lakers, he scored 61 points and grabbed 23 rebounds in the derby against the Clippers. He also claimed three MVP trophies at the ‘All Star, the last of which he shared with Kobe Bryant.
He also played for the Lakers throughout his career, 12 seasons, with three rings in the 1980s, in the era of the spectacular game of the Los Angeles team led by Pat Riley. He is also a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, where he made his mark with the well-known one-handed dunk. He was also famous for his connection to Magic Johnson. In the seventh and final title-deciding game of the 1988 Finals, he had 36 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists to be recognized as the most outstanding player in the fight against the Detroit Pistons.
Jerry West greets Pau Gasol.
The Lakers were also his only team, during 14 seasons, crowned with a ring in the final stretch of his career, in 1972. He was also a coach, general manager and executive vice president of the Los Angeles team, after entering as a player ten times in the best quintet in the NBA and four times in the best defensive team. He was chosen for the ‘All Star’ up to 14 times, and his silhouette was chosen for the NBA logo.
He played for eight seasons with the Lakers, with whom he won three of his four rings in the 1980s, after being proclaimed champion with the Gold State Warriors. He coincided with Magic and Abdul-Jabbar in the legendary ‘showtime’ Lakers. He was chosen three times for the ‘All Star’, after having wowed before his debut in the professional league at the university of UCLA, where he achieved 88 consecutive victories and earned him a first-round draft pick for golden state.