Will be a great moment. Hoping to see it live. Always nice to see these, especially if Lakers and other players from his era are there to celebrate the moment. Will be bittersweet w/o Kobe of course.
Joined: 10 Jul 2009 Posts: 11626 Location: Bay Area
Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2022 1:30 pm Post subject:
Interesting wrinkle I just realized.
I think this makes Pau the second Laker to have his jersey retired before he’s officially in the hall of fame. Kobe was the first, but we all knew Kobe was a sure fire. I believe Pau is too and I think the Lakers do as well - otherwise this would make him the first jersey retired that’s not in the Hall.
This is a player that immediately blended seamlessly with our legend KB. A player who, with Kobe, took only two years to win a ring. A valid argument could be made that he was a better fit with Kobe than Shaq was.
Well deserved. Congratulations Pau!
They were pretty decent at the time (6th seed in the West), but making the finals was pretty much a certainty after they acquired Pau. Getting past Boston, however, was a different story.
Still kinda crazy how Mitch pulled off a trade that would give the Lakers 3 consecutive finals appearances. Not taking anything away from Kwame or Javaris, but it's like they got a HOFer for free.
Here's the highlights of Pau's first game as a Laker:
Last edited by KindCrippler2000 on Sat Aug 20, 2022 4:06 am; edited 2 times in total
I think Pau is a sure fire hall of famer... Eventually.
Cutheon wrote:
Interesting wrinkle I just realized.
I think this makes Pau the second Laker to have his jersey retired before he’s officially in the hall of fame. Kobe was the first, but we all knew Kobe was a sure fire. I believe Pau is too and I think the Lakers do as well - otherwise this would make him the first jersey retired that’s not in the Hall.
Joined: 24 Dec 2007 Posts: 35362 Location: Santa Clarita, CA (Hell) ->>>>>Ithaca, NY -≥≥≥≥≥Berkeley, CA
Posted: Sat Aug 20, 2022 1:55 pm Post subject:
KindCrippler2000 wrote:
LakerDYnasty72 wrote:
This is a player that immediately blended seamlessly with our legend KB. A player who, with Kobe, took only two years to win a ring. A valid argument could be made that he was a better fit with Kobe than Shaq was.
Well deserved. Congratulations Pau!
They were pretty decent at the time (6th seed in the West), but making the finals was pretty much a certainty after they acquired Pau. Getting past Boston, however, was a different story.
Still kinda crazy how Mitch pulled off a trade that would give the Lakers 3 consecutive finals appearances. Not taking anything away from Kwame or Javaris, but it's like they got a HOFer for free.
Here's the highlights of Pau's first game as a Laker:
We gave up Marc Gasol in the deal. Essentially the trade was Pau for Marc, the cap space used to sign Zach Randolph, Javaris, and first rounders that never amounted to anything. Good deal for Memphis too. _________________ Damian Lillard shatters Dwight Coward's championship dreams:
Lakers News: Pau Gasol Discusses Impending Jersey Retirement
The Lakers legend will deservingly be immortalized within the rafters.
Any chance to be immortalized within your franchise is an incredible. With the history the Lakers have some may argue it makes it that much more special but Pau Gasol is forever deserving of the honor to have his jersey retired.
Gasol and a second round pick was traded over to the Lakers that sent Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie and the rights to Marc Gasol along with a couple first round picks to the Grizzlies. Lakers fans rejoiced at the thought of getting some value for Brown, but not many truly knew what was in store.
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Gasol paired up with Kobe Bryant and the flurry of talent surrounding the franchise and helped propel the Lakers to three finals appearances and back-to-back championships. Gasol also reached the All-Star game three times during his six season tenure.
What better way to celebrate the basketball story of Gasol on the Lakers than to retire his jersey next to his late friend Bryant. A moment the future Hall of Famer will never forget but once he still can't fathom (via Spectrum SportsNet).
ADVERTISING
"An unthinkable thing for me. We were getting closer to the day and it's hard for me to really put myself there. I'm beyond honored. Beyond thankful and appreciative of just the thought. The fact itself is just incredible. It's going to be emotional."
An illustrious career for Gasol and a name that rings through Spain for his play on the national team. Gasol helped bring Spain onto the international basketball map, but when Lakers fans hear the number 16, they will remember Gasol and his bond with Bryant and his lasting effects to the Lakers organization.
This is a player that immediately blended seamlessly with our legend KB. A player who, with Kobe, took only two years to win a ring. A valid argument could be made that he was a better fit with Kobe than Shaq was.
Well deserved. Congratulations Pau!
They were pretty decent at the time (6th seed in the West), but making the finals was pretty much a certainty after they acquired Pau. Getting past Boston, however, was a different story.
Still kinda crazy how Mitch pulled off a trade that would give the Lakers 3 consecutive finals appearances. Not taking anything away from Kwame or Javaris, but it's like they got a HOFer for free.
Here's the highlights of Pau's first game as a Laker:
We gave up Marc Gasol in the deal. Essentially the trade was Pau for Marc, the cap space used to sign Zach Randolph, Javaris, and first rounders that never amounted to anything. Good deal for Memphis too.
Yeah... I forgot about Marc, although the odds of him panning out were fairly low at the time. For a dude picked 48th, it's crazy he went on to have the career he had. But... I'm happy we got the more skilled and versatile of the two brothers. I like Marc but not sure if we would have won two consecutive championships with him, although he was a phenomenal defensive player.
Pau Gasol, who won NBA titles with Kobe Bryant and the Lakers in 2009 and 2010, will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday.
How do you feel about this accomplishment?
“Honestly, it’s a little surreal. It’s hard to picture it still, even though it’s close by. Obviously, it’s a huge honor. I’m still trying to take it in, one day at a time. It’s kind of crazy to think about it, with the [Lakers] jersey retirement being a similar feeling. They are two different things, but I think they are two immense honors. So, pretty humbling, but pretty nice too.”
What role did Kobe Bryant play in your ascension to reach such a high level of play?
“A critical role, I think a very unique role. He’s definitely one of the players that elevated me like no other. He pushed me to be not just one of the better power forwards in the league, but to become the best out there on a nightly basis during our time and our run together. I was very fortunate to be able to join the Lakers when I did, to have Kob as a teammate, as a mentor, as an older brother. I’m going to miss him tremendously during this day, as I do on a regular basis. But obviously when you get this type of honor, and when a person has played such a big role in you accomplishing it, you would love for him to be there.”
What does it mean to have Vanessa Bryant and her daughters, Natalia, Bianka and Capri, still involved in your life?
“It’s a blessing. It means the world to me to be able to have such a close relationship, a family really relationship with Vanessa, Natalia, Bianka and Capri and spend time together, be a family really, to be an uncle to those girls, to be a brother to Vanessa. It’s very special. Very special. Something that is dear to my heart, to my family’s heart, as well. Obviously Vanessa is the godmother to our daughter, Elisabet Gianna. That’s forever. That’s forever for me. That’s for life. That true, a unique, type of love that obviously was enhanced through Kobe.”
Take me through the trade to the Lakers from Memphis
“Everything happened so fast. You have played for a team as long as I did for the Grizzlies; in my case for 6½ years. Then you get the news that you have been traded. Never been traded before. Three hours later or so after they tell me, I’m on a plane to L.A. because I’ve got to get a physical the next morning. So, land in L.A. late, 10 p.m., go to the hotel, try to get some rest, get my physical in the morning and then I get on a 1 p.m., or whatever, flight to Washington, D.C, across the country, because that’s where the team was. I said, ‘OK, let’s go.’ I met the team the next day, but Kobe wanted to see me that same night after I talked to the media in D.C. Kobe obviously gave me the welcome and gave me the message: ‘Happy you’re here, but let’s go win. Let’s go win us a ring.’ That was music to my ears. But obviously he set the tone. He gave me that thing of this is how it’s going to be. It’s not about making the playoffs. It’s not about let’s give ourselves a chance. None of that. ‘We are here and you’re here for us to win a ring, to win a championship. Let’s do it. Have a good night.’ I said, ‘All right, I’m in.’ He got me.
“Then they played the game the next day in D.C. and then I fly to Memphis to pack, because I had nothing. I had to pack my bags and bring them to New Jersey the next day. Got my first practice in the day before the game and started playing and played a few games, played pretty well. Then we had the All-Star weekend and just started to get settled. I just tried to do the best I could, really. Worked hard. Had a pretty significant impact right away. We were able to finish first in the Western Conference. Kobe got the MVP of the season, his only MVP of the regular season, which that obviously gave me a lot of pride because I was able to contribute to that for him and his family. Then we got to the Finals the first season, got to two other Finals after that, won those last two. Very special.”
What did you think of the triangle offense?
“It was pretty. I don’t know if I would call it easy, but it was pretty organic and pretty immediate, because they put me in position where I was very comfortable to operate from. Whether it was to make plays for my teammates, and with the spacing and put me in the post most of the time, and then on the elbow some of the time, and then running pick-and-roll with Kob, whether it was on the side or on the top of the floor, it was just bread-and-butter. I understood the game. I had a good basketball IQ and I could recognize my teammates being open. I would look for them and then if they were covered, then I would go to work, which I knew how to do too. But it seemed pretty seamless because to me it was just about the principles of the game, playing the game the right way, with the right spacing, movement with some actions and then it was all about reads and counters, stuff like that, and recognizing what’s there and what’s not there.”
More of the interview with Brad Turner can be found within the link 👇🏼
Rob Pelinka, Kobe Bryant’s agent: After three seasons of not winning a playoff series, I just remember Kobe being so voracious about wanting to go on a championship run. Like, ‘I’m not going to go through this again without a clear path for a championship,’ just with that Mamba Mentality of like, ‘Nothing’s gonna get in my way.’ I think he just felt like the best way to really, you know, engage things was was to do what he did, you know, in May of 2007. When he was like, ‘Hey, I want to be on a championship team’ and, you know, kind of made it made the famous [trade] request.
Lamar Odom, Lakers forward: When I first heard we were trading for Pau, at first thought it was a joke. Somebody of that caliber, I’m thinking like, ‘Damn, am I in that trade? I hope I’m not in that trade.’
Phil Jackson, Lakers head coach: He’s a very unique player. I don’t know if we’ve had many players like him before. His mobility, his agility. He both played with his back to the basket and facing the basket, and his size being able to handle the ball. He’s a very unique player. … We had talked about trading for him the All-Star game prior to the year he actually came. We were kind of concerned that if he could play the center spot, if he could defend the lane.” – via Dan Woike, Broderick Turner @ Los Angeles Times
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It’s insane how life ends up. The Lakers didn’t just trade for a pivotal 1B option to win two more championships. They traded for someone who had such a close bond with Kobe and such a heart of gold that he basically became family to the Bryants after Kobe passed. Pau is my favorite Laker ever. Congratulations. The perfect representation of Purple & Gold. Laker for Life. _________________ Austin Reaves
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