Pau Gasol bids Lakers farewell, battles mixed feelings as he watches Kobe’s video during retirement

Pau Gasol, the Spanish basketball player, joined the Los Angeles Lakers 15 years ago and helped transform them into contenders and eventually champions.

Gasol’s arrival in February 2008 led to the Lakers reaching three consecutive NBA finals, winning in 2009 and 2010, alongside Kobe Bryant.

The Lakers retired Gasol’s No. 16 jersey on Tuesday, which was unveiled during a halftime ceremony.

Gasol choked up while watching a video featuring Kobe, where he expressed his excitement about Gasol’s jersey retirement.

Gasol thanked Vanessa Bryant during his speech, and the Lakers’ gesture meant a lot to him.

The 17-time NBA champion franchise typically only retires the numbers of players in the Hall of Fame, and Gasol is a first-time finalist for the honor this year.

Gasol made three of his six career All-Star teams during his time with the Lakers, averaging 17.7 pointnd 9s a.9 rebounds per game.

He and Bryant formed a dominant partnership, and Gasol’s versatile game complemented Bryant’s scoring prowess perfectly.

They also formed a deep off-court friendship that endured until Bryant’s death in 2020. Gasol is a strong candidate for the Hall of Fame, and the Lakers’ gesture of retiring his jersey is significant.

Gasol’s parents, his brothers Marc and Adrià, Vanessa Bryant, and Lakers owner Jeanie Buss joined Gasol and his wife on the court during the halftime ceremony.

Gasol believes his long, successful career contributed to erasing the stereotype of the “soft” European player, and he noted that three Europeans are now arguably the top three players in the league: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, and Luka Doncic.

Gasol’s jersey represents the 13th number retired by the Lakers, and it hangs side by side with Kobe’s jerseys.

Gasol played his first seven NBA seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies, his first team after moving to the United States in 2001.

Memphis traded Gasol to the Lakers in February 2008, and the deal transformed both franchises.

Gasol’s younger brother, Marc, was part of the package that Memphis received, and he went on to have 11 largely excellent seasons with the Grizzlies.