Pau Gasol (Barcelona, 1980) has already begun to count with a certain nervousness on the days that remain for next March 7, when the Los Angeles Lakers will retire their number 16 jersey, coinciding with the game that will face them against the Memphis Grizzlies, the team in which Sant Boi started his successful career, coming from Barça. The former pivot explains to SPORT his feelings about what comes to him.
Pau, could you ever imagine that your number would be retired in the Lakers?
I could never imagine it. Without a doubt, it exceeds my vision of what I could achieve and is a message that if things are done right, you can achieve anything no matter how difficult it may seem. Without a doubt, it is a great honor, and it is still difficult for me to accept and understand the magnitude of what this act means.
How do you think you will react at that moment?
I suppose I will cry, because a series of very intense sensations will pass through my body that will come together at that moment. Every day that approaches my body accuses him…
It will be a few very special minutes, right?
Definitely. My intention is to thank many people, that everyone who has helped me, especially my family, feel part of that moment. The immortalization of your name with such a select group of players is difficult to describe.
Do you think you could have won another title with Kobe?
Obviously I would have liked to win more, but I don’t know. You have to judge life by what you have achieved and thank everyone who has been in my way to achieve it, and that is that winning two consecutive NBA titles is not easy at all.
a special relationship
What made the relationship with Kobe Bryant so special?
We complement each other very well. Our ‘timing’ on the court was brutal, as was our desire to win, to be the best player. The results were with us, and that relationship on the track transcended outside, and I still have it with his family.
I suppose the culmination of all this moment that you are living would be to enter the Hall of Fame?
In recognition of my career in the NBA; there is nothing greater. Very recently they named me a finalist and it would be a choice that, together with what I am going to experience with the Lakers, makes it difficult to process.
The immortalization of your name with such a select group of players is difficult to describe.
In the All Star he had a leading role. Do you see yourself close to having a leading role in any NBA franchise?
The NBA continues to attract me and I love exploring options for the future, and it’s true that I already have a franchise in mind. Several teams are interested but nothing can be specified yet.
Pau, you lead many projects. How do you get to everything?
Well, with a desire and an illusion to do the things that interest and excite me, although I manage to do so thanks to the support of my family and because I have an extraordinary work team. There are no more secrets.
Are you now also looking for time for golf?
Yes, I loved the experience with the professionals and it surely won’t be the last.
