Rafael Nadal pays heartfelt tribute to Pau Gasol as Lakers honor him by retiring his jersey
Rafael Nadal pays tribute to his compatriot and friend, Pau Gasol ahead of his jersey retirement by the Lakers.
Follow Us
Nadal and Gasol
Former world No.1, Rafael Nadal pays a heartfelt tribute to his friend, compatriot, and former Lakers star, Pau Gasol. Nadal took to his social media to convey his wishes to Gasol on the eve of retiring his jersey by the Lakers. Gasol retired from the sport in 2021 and has been a member of the International Olympic Committee since then. He had an illustrious career for 23 years and is considered to be one of the best in the sport.
Pau Gasol achieved great success in the NBA, winning two championships with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2009 and 2010. He was also named an NBA All-Star six times and was a four-time All-NBA team selection. He was the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2002. Gasol is also widely regarded as one of the best power forwards and European players of all time.
While paying his tribute, Nadal said, “For the Los Angeles Lakers to retire Pau Gasol’s jersey is something incredible to me. It is someone who is not American in a team that is probably the most emblematic in the history of the NBA. For them to retire the jersey of a player who is not American, who is Spanish, and someone I personally have lived it very closely, makes me very excited. I think it is a day of celebration and to be proud of what he has achieved. This shows what Pau is and what Pau meant for the most important league in the world. In a sport in which things like this were very distant years ago.”
The organizers will retire Gasol’s No. 16 jersey before the Grizzlies game on Tuesday and display it alongside Kobe Bryant’s at Crypto.com Arena. This honor makes Gasol the first Spanish NBA player to have their jersey retired.
Related: Chris Evert praises ‘Warrior’ Rafael Nadal for unmatched longevity in the Top-10
Rafael Nadal misses out playing Indian Wells and Miami Open
Due to an ongoing hip injury, he sustained during the Australian Open, Rafael Nadal has opted out of participating in the Indian Wells and the Miami Open. The 36-year-old lost to Mackenzie McDonald in the second round while experiencing discomfort. The medical scans later revealed that he had suffered an injury to his hip muscle. Due to this, he is expected to be sidelined for six to eight weeks.
Nadal recently gave an update regarding this and said, “I am sad that I won’t be able to compete at Indian Wells nor Miami. Very sad not to be there. I’ll miss all my US fans but I hope to see them later this year during the summer swing.”
This withdrawal has ended Nadal’s long streak of ranking in the top ten since 2005. However, the Spaniard aims to return fit and sound for the Roland Garros where he will play for his 23rd Grand Slam title. On the other hand, world No.1, Novak Djokovic also withdrew from Indian Wells amidst the denial of his entry into the U.S.A.
Continue Reading:
Rafael Nadal unveils impressive facility upgrades at his Academy in Mallorca
Stay Updated!
Santhosh Tenneti
(308 Articles Published)