“Beyond thankful and honoured” Pau Gasol makes honest admission on his official Lakers jersey #16 retirement date

On the 7^th of March 2023, Pau Gasol will become the 12^th former Los Angeles Laker player to see his jersey lifted into the rafters, joining late teammate Kobe Bryant along with a long list of former laker players which include the likes of greats like Wilt Chamberlain to Kareem Abdul Jabbar and the most recent entrant Shaquille O’Neal

A Champion, legend, and forever part of the Lakers Family.

3/7/23 – We raise Pau Gasol's jersey into the rafters pic.twitter.com/F9snGrHO9o

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) August 17, 2022

After having spent 24 years in the NBA, Pau Gasol bid farewell to the league on October 5^th 2021 after he announced his retirement from professional basketball. On the same day Lakers owner “congratulated Gasol on his retirement and would retire his jersey #16”

Pau Gasol’s illustrious career

Pau Gasol’s career begun at FC Barcelona in the year 1998 at the tender age of 18 when he began playing for FC Barcelona’s junior team, He debuted for the senior team a year later and subsequently led the team to their 6^th Spanish Championship and was honoured with the Finals MVP award as well, this caught the attention of NBA teams.

Pau was selected third overall in the first round of the 2001 NBA draft by the Atlanta Hawks but was traded with Shareef Abdur-Rahim shortly after. In his first season at the league, Gasol became the first foreign player to win the NBA rookie of the year award He averaged 17.6 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, and was also the only team member to play in all 82 games that season. He led the franchise to the play-offs more than 3 times but failed to make it through.

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The Lakers’ Era – Gasol joins force with Kobe Bryant

Memphis traded Pau Gasol to the Lakers on February 1st, 2008. Gasol spent his first seven seasons with the team, participating in three straight NBA Finals from 2008 to 2010, where he won two NBA championships and three of his six All-Star selections. In 429 games with the team, he averaged 17.7 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 3.5 assists.

Gasol was the element that propelled the Lakers to the top, elevating them from a fringe contender to a championship-calibre juggernaut, which was more significant than just his statistical output. The big man was a crucial part of the Lakers’ championship teams and was crucial to the team’s 2010 victory against the Celtics in the Finals, which marked the team’s ultimate triumph over its finals demons.

Apart from his performance on the court, Gasol’s time in Los Angeles allowed him to get close to Bryant, who during their playing days frequently referred to him as the “White Swan”.

Gasol said it was one of the “toughest” things he had to do when he left Los Angeles to join with the Bulls in an effort to position himself to win another championship when Bryant retired in ’16. Before concluding his NBA career, Gasol did not win another championship. He later admitted that he missed Bryant’s constant pressure to improve.

Late Kobe Bryant famously said “The city of L.A. does not have those two championships without Pau Gasol,” “Everyone knows that. I really look forward to the day when he’s giving his speech at center court in front of all the fans who have supported him over the years. It’s going to be an awesome night.

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