Pau Gasol achieves eternal glory with the Lakers

In the mecca of Hollywood, where fame is often an ephemeral and capricious illusion, rebelling against oblivion and standing the test of time separates the stars who fade overnight from those who truly achieve eternity.

Pau Gasol he doesn’t have a star on the Walk of Fame yet, but Legend of Spanish basketball is from today the immortal myth of los angeles lakerswho pulled his shirt and his number 16 as a tribute to the double NBA champion with those of purple and gold. “To the City of Los Angeles, ‘Lakers Nation’: I love you deeply, I love you forever. Thank you for making me feel so special,” said a very emotional Gasol, who couldn’t hold back tears at various times of the night.

The most glamorous dynasty in the NBA – and the most successful next to the Boston Celtics – paid tribute to Gasol, who forged an unforgettable alliance, on and off the court, with Kobe Bryant in the rings in 2009 and 2010.

As of today, anyone who looks up at the roof of Crypto.com Arena (the new name for Staples Center) will see Gasol’s 16 in addition to his 8 and 24 brother kobe and with other Lakers heroes like magic johnson (32), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (33), Shaquille O’Neal (34) or Jerry West (44).

To understand the magnitude of this feat, it is enough to see that the Lakers have retired only 12 players – including Pau – and that the Spaniard is the first non-American to do so.

A dream come true and the memory of Kobe

In a black suit and with his two championship rings on his fingers, Gasol caught the eyes of all the fans since he entered the pavilion between the first and second quarters of the game between the Lakers and the Memphis Grizzlies (the other great team on the wing). center during an outstanding career in the NBA).

With his daughter in his arms, Gasol gave thanks, unable to avoid tears, to a big ovation from the stands where every fan received a T-shirt with the Catalan’s name and number. The applause was repeated several times with video tributes to Gasol (most notably a very special one from coach Phil Jackson).

But the tribute as such happened at halftime. The event began with a video by Vanessa Bryant, Kobe Bryant’s widow, who introduced Gasol, praising his human quality “as a partner, as a man and as a friend.” Then, stadium screens showed Bryant’s 2018 interview with Efe Los Angeles correspondent Antonio Martín, in which the guard directly demanded that the Lakers retire Gasol’s number. “There is no discussion. When he retires, he will have his number on top of the pavilion. The reality is that without him we would not have won those two titles. We know it, we all know it,” Kobe said at the time.

After the shirt was revealed at the top of the stadium, Gasol, “shaken” by the tribute and completely moved, thanked everyone present, but also remembered the “persons and faces” that he unfortunately did not see at the stadium. “I really miss you a lot” he said between shouts of “Kobe, Kobe” in the pavilion.

Gasol said that “not in a million years” could he have imagined such an evening and recalled Kobe’s “mamba mentality”: “Be the best you can be.” The six-time All-Star player also recalled that legendary seventh game against the Celtics in the 2010 finals. “It seems like it was yesterday (…). What a night, he’ll never forget it and I don’t think you will either,” he said.

Gasol thanked his family, friends and teammates (“you deserve a piece of this jersey,” he said) and assured that he will continue his career off the field, with the Gasol Foundation, “making this world a healthier place.”

very special guests

Aside from his impressive talent and fierce competitive spirit, the Lakers have a very special place for Gasol because of his kindness, grace, humility and charity work.

In this culminating moment of his career, the man from Sant Boi was accompanied by his wife and children, parents and brothers – including Marc Gasol – and unforgettable teammates from the ‘golden juniors’ such as Juan Carlos Navarro, Felipe Reyes or Juan Carlos Calderon.

But colleagues from his wine and rosé years with the Lakers, such as Derek Fisher or Metta Sandiford-Artest and franchise references such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, were also present. Who could not be LeBron James, who is recovering from an injury.

In addition to the stars, he emphasized above all the affection and recognition of the practically full Crypto.com Arena to pay tribute to one Gasol whose name and number will forever remain in the sky of the Lakers and on the Olympus of the NBA.

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(Photography)