His signature Pau Gasol for him FC Barcelona It marked the alien’s return home, but also the end of his legendary NBA career. Ferdinand Martin He was the pioneer, the one who opened the doors, while Pau is the architect of what the championship means today in our country. The NBA was born in Spain with the native Sant Boi de Llobregat, reaching a point of interest that has evolved to this day into one of the most popular games in the territory.
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The 40-year-old deserves all the honors and even then we would fall short. Contemporaries know first hand its significance. Those of us who are not so young are living in his golden years, his stage as a dominant veteran. and guys who are fans of basketball and the NBA, who did not coincide in time with him, owe a good part of such a rich presence in this sport to his silhouette. Because it is impossible to understand Spanish basketball without the influence of Pau Gasol.
Therefore, as a tribute to such an illustrious career, At The Sportng News we piece together Pau’s legacy in the world’s best league through facts, stats and a few anecdotes. There are many biographies and publications of him, so we will try to portray his time in the United States from another perspective.
We know that Pau was the second Spaniard to play in the NBA and, moreover, win the award Rookie of the Year (2002), but in his rookie season he finished fourth in field goal percentage. An impressive achievement for such a short time in the league.
When Gasol landed in the United States, the situation regarding foreigners was changing. Although they did not receive additional roles such as Toni Kukoc on Michael Jordan’s Bulls, or marginally as happened with Fernando Martin, did not multiply like Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo or Nikola Jokic today. Pau was one of the protagonists of the generation of foreign stars formed by Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker, Manu Ginóbili, Yao Ming or himself.
Of course, He is the first Spaniard to play in an NBA All-Star Game (2006), an appointment he attended up to six times over a decade. The last time he attended the All-Star Game was in 2016, already as a veteran representing the Chicago Bulls. In 2006 he was an All-Star with the Grizzlies. in 2009, 2010 and 2011, with the Lakers alongside Kobe Bryant. and in 2015 and 2016, with the Bulls. Three different franchises. Only four players in all of history have done it with four different ones.
Pau was the first Spaniard to play in the playoffs in Memphis, a city where he left a huge mark. He was their first big star and the leader of the first Grizzlies team to reach the postseason.. True, he didn’t win a single playoff game with them, but he was their guide when they made that move. In the 90s, when the franchise was born in Vancouver, it was the least attractive team in the NBA. Gasol put the Grizzlies on the map and the Grizzlies allowed the Spaniard to elevate his career.
Always involved in social projects, Pau’s footprint in Memphis also permeated the community. For example, he launched a children’s program called “Pau’s friends”. In addition, his figure was recognized and loved in the city. At first he arrived as a young man without a beard, but the passage of time – and the fact that he stopped shaving – gave him a beard that is part of his history in January 2005, the Grizzlies announced the “Beard Pau-er NightThe first 5,000 fans to arrive with a beard (real or fake) received a free entry voucher.
Pau was the tenth player to need the fewest games to reach 5,000 points and 500 blocks, clear record in scoring and blocking shots near the basket. He left Memphis with a slew of records, including games, minutes, goals and attempts, free throws, rebounds (offensive, defensive and total), blocks, turnovers and points.
Until the explosion of the twin Mike Conley and Marc Gasol, Pau was considered the best player in franchise history. In fact, Marc leads the Grizzlies in total win shares, Conley is second and Pau is third. Although Conley, Marc, Zach Randolph or Mike Miller share most of the Grizzlies’ all-time records, Pau is still the leader in average blocks per game (1.8) and Offensive Box Plus/Minus (2.7).
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His transfer to the Lakers was an earthquake in the media in Spain as few have been in the sports field. A source of pride and a point of attention that forever changed the perception of the NBA in our country. Pau’s presence in Hollywood along with Kobe has always brought the image of the league closer to the masses, who have always been seen as a union of higher beings, far from the mundane.
Remarkably, in 2008-2009, his first full season in Los Angeles, Pau was never suspended. He was also named Player of the Week again (February 8, 2009), an award he had not won since his time in Memphis (three times: January 2, 2005, March 5, 2005, and March 26, 2006). He would win it three more times (22 February 2009, 21 March 2010 and 31 October 2010) a total of seven Player of the Week awards.
He was even named Western Conference Player of the Month for February 2009 with outstanding batting averages. 20.8 points, 10.9 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.1 blocks on 58.6% shooting from the field. That season and the following (2009–2010) were their peak performances, individual and collective success and media impact. As a well-deserved reward, in Christmas 2009 he signed the renewal with the Lakers: 3 seasons and $57 millionthe most important sports contract of his career.
Just in 2009-2010, already with a championship ring (the first Spaniard to do so) Pau recorded three 20-rebound games in a four-game streak:
- 17 points and 20 rebounds against the Timberwolves
- 16 points and 10 rebounds against jazz
- 10 points and 16 rebounds against the Bulls*
- 26 points and 22 rebounds against the Bucks
It finished the season as the 14th best selling jersey, a milestone that rivals Kobe (1st), LeBron James (2nd), Kevin Garnett (3rd), Derrick Rose (4th), the best Dwight Howard (5th), Carmelo Anthony in his time in Denver (10th) or Brandon Roy before injuries (13th). He surpassed Rajon Rondo’s sales (15th).
The 2010 playoffs are the best of his entire career. In the First Round, facing the young and promising Oklahoma City Thunder (they would reach the Finals in 2012), Pau scored the game-winning basket in the sixth that prevented a potential Game 7. That night he grabbed 18 rebounds, including the last one on offense after Kobe’s layup.
Average 19.6 points (3rd highest in postseason, 1st on Lakers), 11.1 rebounds, 2.1 blocks, 3.5 assists, 53.9% shooting for 23 games to end up winning the title against Boston, a fantastic performance that served as revenge after Garnett’s overachievement and the toughness of the Celtics’ interior game in the losing Finals of 2008. Thus, he became an NBA champion for good streak, becoming the second 11th-round draft pick in the league to do so (13 so far, following the Heat of the Big Three and the Stephen Curry-era Warriors).
While not among the players with the most Win Shares or records with the Lakers, something complicated in a franchise with such an illustrious history, Pau is considered one of his best and most loved players. Beloved in Los Angeles, most fans are waiting to see their #16 hanging from the Staples Center sky. It is impossible to understand Kobe’s success without Pau, because the titles of 2009 and 2010 would never have happened, and therefore the story of the franchise and Bryant would be different.
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Thus, it will join the famous list formed by Kobe #8 (10 seasons, 3 titles), Wilt Chamberlain #13 (5 seasons, 1 title), Elgin Baylor #22 (13 seasons), Kobe #24 (10 seasons, 2 titles), Gail Goodrich #25 (9 seasons, 1 title), Magic Johnson #32 (13 seasons, 5 titles), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar #33 (14 seasons, 5 titles) Shaquille O’Neal #34 (8 seasons, 3 titles), James Worthy #42 (12 seasons, 3 titles), Jerry West #44 (14 seasons, 1 title) and Jamal Wilkes #52 (8 seasons, 3 titles). All the legends.
Already in his last best stage, that of Chicago, Pau lived a second youth driven by the desire to play for the Bulls. In 2014-2015 it had averaged a career-best 11.8 sacks per night, accompanied by 18.5 points, returning him to All-Star status after a three-year absence from the Lakers’ playoffs. He was even able to break his career high in a win over the Bucks by a young Giannis Antetokounmpo on January 10, 2015. His stats:
- 46 points, 18 rebounds, 3 assists1 robbery, 3 losses. 17 out of 30 shooting (56.7%) and 12 of 13 on free throws (92.3%)
Gasol was a two-time All-Star in 2015 and 2016, his two seasons in Chicago. Pau was named All-NBA with the Lakers three times (2009 and 2010 3rd Best Quintet and 2011 2nd Best Quintet), so to understand his level in these two courses, The Spaniard received his fourth and final All NBA selection with the Bulls (2nd best five) in 2015. Although the most memorable image of that year – apart from the EuroBasket semi-final against France – was the opening jump of the All-Star starring his brother.
Hastening his time, Gasol became a specialist shooter in San Antonio: In 141 games between the 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 seasons, he made 99 of 224 three-pointers (44.2%) compared to 74 of 249 (29.7%) he made in 15 seasons between 2001 and 2016.
In nearly two decades in the league, Pau Gasol signed a great career. He became one of the smartest insiders the game has ever seen, left the Statue of Liberty as his personal move, put the Grizzlies on the map, transformed the NBA in Spain and formed, along with Kobe Bryant, one of the best duos in history We will never be able to return everything he meant to Spanish basketball.
The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of the NBA or its organizations.
