Pau Gasol (Barcelona, 1980) was already a Lakers legend but since this morning he is officially one, after joining the select group that includes Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal or Kobe Bryant, with whom he formed a great duo that won two NBA rings and whom he remembered on his big day: «He definitely inspired me, he taught me what it took to be the best possible player with his work ethic, dedication, mentality and effort. He challenged me to be better ».
The Lakers turned Pau into a myth and for the occasion the Los Angeles club chose a special and emotional match, the one that pitted the Lakers against the Memphis Grizzlies, the team with which Pau landed in the NBA, in which he also triumphed, and in the which was also played by his brother Marc. A cocktail of emotions that reached its peak at five and eight minutes in the early morning Spanish time, during the break in the duel, but already during the match there were emotional moments with recordings on the video scoreboard such as that of Derek Fisher, Sasha Vujačić, Ron Artest recalling the unforgettable Game 7 against the Celtics or the great ‘maestro’ Phil Jackson -winner of 11 NBA rings- and cheers for Pau with an audience dedicated to the cause, who was visibly moved by his daughter Elisabet Gianna in her arms, stood up to say hello.
The player lived the moment in the center of the field, where he came down accompanied by his family. He was having trouble holding back tears as Vanessa Bryant presented him with a video of Kobe. A black canvas uncovered his shirt to elevate him to his particular Olympus. Thank you for making me feel so special in this franchise. That job we put on the table. To be better every day, as ‘Mamba’ taught us”, explains Pau excitedly. And, of course, he remembered his family. «Thanks to my family, friends, brothers, everyone. To my wife, to everyone », he recounts. «It has been an honor. Thank you to the Lakers family, to the Lakers community. I love you all. Thanks for making me feel special. It is an honor », he explains in Spanish. In addition, he also dedicates words to the media, to everyone who had anything to do with his career. «I did not expect so much, much more than what I gave. Thank you », he points out.
“I hope we all make a better world. I hope that we manage to make it healthier, cleaner and that we continue advancing step by step”, concludes the man from Sant Boi. His jersey, hanging next to Kobe’s ’24’ and just below Showtime: Worthy, Magic and Kareem. Legendary company in the Los Angeles firmament. Gasol posed in center court with Jeanie Buss -Lakers owner-, Vanessa Bryant, Rob Pelinka -Lakers sports director- and his entire family. The Catalan’s career has exceeded all his dreams and expectations
Few players exist in the sky of the Lakers pavilion. For one to retire the number from the NBA jersey is a historical recognition, for the Lakers to do so is to take a step beyond the game, and metamorphose from star to legend. The ’16’ was immortalized in today’s Crypto.com Arena – former Staples Center, for the NBA franchise par excellence of the last half century. There are the names that wrote pages of glory in the purple and gold outfit. Now, that longitudinal boy from Sant Boi who wanted to study medicine to emulate his mother, Marisa, is the first non-American to be there. A feat for those who show excellence on the field and off it, due to his successes and “his exemplary social work”, as indicated by the jury of the Princess of Asturias Award for Sports.
Pau was very well accompanied on his big night and how could it be otherwise he lived it surrounded by his closest relatives and many friends from Spain. Juan Carlos Navarro, Felipe Reyes, José Manuel Calderón and Raül López accompanied the player. The ‘Golden Juniors’, the best generation of Spanish players of all time, was in Los Angeles 25 years after that European Championship achieved in the Bulgarian city of Varna in 1998. The beginning of everything.
Names that many dreamed of
The Lakers, the team with the most glamor and NBA titles along with the Celtics (17), have retired the jersey of 10 players. In chronological order: George Mikan (99), the first great NBA star, Elgin Baylor (22), Wilt Chamberlain (13), Jerry West (44) and Gail Goodrich (25, stars of the 1960s and early 1960s). 70; Jamaal Wilkes (52), Magic Johnson (32), Abdul-Jabbar (33) and James Worthy (42), champions in the era of the 80s, the famous ‘showtime’, Shaquille O’Neal (34) and Kobe Bryant (8 and 24), ring winners in the first decade of the 21st century.
And since this morning Pau Gasol, as predicted by his ‘older brother’, the ‘black mamba’ during the 2018 Oscars gala: «When he retires, he will have his number next to mine. I would not have won those championships without him. The Lakers would not have those titles. We know it and the world knows it. I can’t wait to see him give a speech in front of all those fans who have supported him over the years, “said the Philadelphia legend who sadly died in a helicopter crash in January 2020 with his little daughter ‘Gigi’.
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From that ceiling hang the memories of several generations and names that many dreamed of. Pau has earned the 12th best player in Lakers history, according to a recent Los Angeles Times poll, after the Spanish power forward helped the team return to championship form with three NBA Finals. consecutive NBA and championship rings in 2009 and 2010.
Seventh European in history
To further contextualize the value of this tribute: Gasol is the first non-American player to have his jersey removed by the Lakers and the seventh European in history to have his jersey removed in an NBA franchise, behind stars like Serbian Drazen Petrovic , first of all (3, Nets), Vlade Divac (21), and ‘Peja’ Stojakovic (16) – both with that honor in Sacramento, Lithuanian Zydrunas Ilgauskas (11) in the Cavs, Frenchman Tony Parker (9 ) saw his shirt hang from the Spurs pavilion and the German Dirk Nowitzki (41) has his shirt retired in Dallas. There’s no more. Pau is one of only four players in the history of the competition with at least 20,000 points, 11,000 rebounds, 3,500 assists and 1,900 blocks added during the regular season, along with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett. Big words.