A new report suggests the probability of the Pau Gasol hall of fame was higher than many thought. Pau Gasol won the NBA two times, and his No. 16 was retired by the Los Angeles Lakers earlier this month. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Lakers legend would be elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The NBA hall of fame 2023 is filled with former stars that played for different basketball teams in the NBA. Becky Hammon, Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker, Gregg Popovich, and Dwyane Wade will join Pau Gasol in the hall of fame.
The former Lakers star averaged 17.6 points and 8.9 rebounds for the Memphis Grizzlies and was the number 3 in the NBA draft of that year. In that same season, Pau Gasol won the rookie of the year award. In his first 15 seasons as a professional NBA player, Gasol has an average of 18.2 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. During this time in the NBA, Pau Gasol possessed qualities often considered rare for a young player. He had the intelligence and was equally humble despite his fantastic run in the NBA.
A major change in his career happened in 2008 when he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. It was a move that brought Pau Gasol more to the limelight. He had a connection with Kobe Bryant, which the two maintained until the death of Kobe. However, Pau is still in touch with the family Kobe left behind. During his time at the Lakers, Pau Gasol helped them reach three consecutive Finals appearances.
Pau Gasol's Highlights as an NBA Player
Pau Gasol was very prominent during his time as an NBA player. The player did not only perform for his team at the NBA, but he was also fundamental to his national team when he was still playing. While playing for the Spanish national team, Pau Gasol won a FIBA World Cup, two Olympic silvers, and three EuroBasket titles. With titles such as this, it doesn't come as a surprise that people were asking, "when is Pau Gasol eligible for hall of fame?"
One of the biggest highlights of his career while still playing professionally was the game against the Celtics in the 2010 finals. It was a challenging game for the Los Angeles Lakers because of the impeccable defensive play the Celtics were exhibiting. Even Kobe, who looked like the team's star man, was limited during that game. But it was bits of magic performed by Pau Gasol that helped the Los Angeles Lakers triumph in that game. Pau Gasol had pulled off an impressive 19 points and 18 rebounds, including what many of his fans consider the most fantastic shot of his career.
Even while Kobe was still alive, he had reiterated that Pau Gasol was the primary reason they won that game. In a video posted on Twitter, Kobe, while still alive, said everyone knew that it was Pau's influence that brought many trophies home for the Lakers. "The city of Los Angeles wouldn’t have those two rings without Pau. We know it, everybody knows it," Kobe said in the video. It is only logical that the NBA decided to honor Pau by adding him to the hall of fame.