Barcelona“There is no doubt. When Pau Gasol retires, his name will be next to mine on the roof of the pavilion.” Kobe Bryant’s prophecy will be fulfilled on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday, when the Lakers will honor the best Catalan player in history. The franchise will retire the legendary number 16 with a ceremony at the Crypto.com Arena that will serve to highlight the career of an unrepeatable athlete.
Jeanie Buss, owner of the franchise and daughter of the late Jerry Buss, was one of the first voices to close the debate on whether or not Pau Gasol deserved to have his jersey retired. “It wasn’t about giving a reason but about choosing the moment, it was clear that we would do it.” The Catalan spent six and a half seasons with the Lakers, where he played in three NBA finals and won two. His two championship rings served to expand the record of a franchise that is now experiencing a much more difficult time.
The Lakers have already retired 11 of the 101 possible numbers. The list to which Gasol will be added includes Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, Gail Goodrich, Jamaal Wilkes, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, who has two reserved numbers, both the 8th and the 24th.
“Every day that goes by, every hour that goes by, we’re getting closer to a very special, very emotional moment, it’s going to be like an avalanche and a huge hurricane of emotions… It’s hard to stand and process everything. I think the most important thing will be to let go, let myself be carried by these emotions and enjoy the moment. For me it is a moment of great gratitude and to share it with all the people who have accompanied me throughout the my career”, confesses Gasol, who will be accompanied by his brother Marc Gasol, player and president of Básquet Girona, and by Joan Carles Navarro, general manager of Barça.
Gasol’s shirt will shine next to Kobe Bryant’s. The ex-player, who died in a helicopter accident, was one of the great personal friends of the Catalan. “He will be very present to me at that time, despite not being able to be there physically. His presence, his spirit and his legacy are always with me and I always have him in mind. He will be part of the rest of my days, especially on a personal and family level, which for me is the most important thing. I feel very lucky to have shared many things with him and to have considered him like an older brother,” explains Gasol.
Pau Gasol’s relationship with Lakers fans is very special. “Everyone tells me that I always behaved with a lot of class, with a lot of respect, with a certain humility, with values, as my parents and my family taught me. I also worked a lot with the Los Angeles community, doing things off the court. In the end what remains is the person, not the player,” he argues.
Sant Boi, proud
The City Council of Sant Boi de Llobregat, hometown of Pau Gasol, hung a giant shirt on the facade of its council building on Friday. “For Sant Boi it is a pride to join the tribute that Pau Gasol will receive in Los Angeles. The removal of the shirt means an explicit recognition of his sporting career. It is an opportunity to show again from his city the bond it has meant for us. It is a benchmark of effort, sacrifice and commitment to the values of sport for our boys and girls,” boasted Lluïsa Moret, mayoress of Sant Boi de Llobregat.
Pau Gasol made his NBA debut on November 1, 2001 The Catalan made his debut by scoring 4 points and grabbing 4 rebounds in his first 17 official minutes with the Memphis Grizzlies, who lost against the Detroit Pistons (80-90) . “I didn’t know how to play relaxed. I wanted to do well because there were a lot of people waiting for me. I was disappointed because I knew a lot of people had stayed up to watch the game live,” admitted the player of Sant Boi de Llobregat in the post-match press conference.
In 2008, Gasol was transferred to the Lakers, where he stayed until 2014. The Bulls, the Spurs, the Bucks, the Blazers and Barça completed his sporting career. “I’m fine with being retired because I think one of the keys to life and being happy is knowing how to savor stages, but also knowing when they’ve reached the end so you can start the next one. I’ve been lucky enough to play for a long time and when “I made the decision to hang up my boots. It wasn’t easy, but at the same time I did it very confidently and calmly. When I closed that door, I got involved in the sport from another position,” he sums up.
