Gary Vitti, who has been a part of the Los Angeles Lakers for over 30 years, has some amazing stories to share. Recently, he spoke about Pau Gasol, who could be considered an underrated Purple and Gold icon. But Gasol was Kobe Bryant’s trusted deputy in the Mamba’s later years.
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Gasol didn’t last in LA as long as Bryant did. But in the time he spent there, from 2008 to 2014, he carved a special place in the hearts of fans. Mike D’Antoni‘s arrival in 2012 possibly changed things for Gasol in LA. D’Antoni didn’t quite see the Spaniard as an integral cog in his system.
Gasol was a dominant big man who was great at doing low-post work. But D’Antoni, a coach famous for relying on fast-paced basketball, relegated him to a different role. Gasol, who was 7-feet tall and weighed 250 pounds, was out of the starting five by 2013.
Most stars in the league we know would throw a fit or demand a trade in such a situation. And Gasol did go public to state he wasn’t happy with how things were going. Vitti spoke about this while revealing in an interview with Lakers legend Byron Scott just how professional Gasol truly was.
“He [Gasol] was extremely professional about it, but trust me, I know,” said Vitti, before empathizing with Gasol. “He was not happy about it. Why would you… Take my strength away?”
Gasol did not remain a part of the Lakers much longer, even though the franchise had reportedly offered him a deal. Understandably, he chose to continue his NBA career elsewhere and joined the Chicago Bulls. But there were more controversies surrounding his departure.
D’Antoni didn’t want Gasol, and the Lakers were looking to ship him off in a trade to the New Orleans Hornets. Chris Paul and former Laker Lamar Odom were poised to replace him. But the move got rescinded, because the Hornets (before NOLA became the Pelicans) were owned by the NBA, and commissioner David Stern rejected it for “basketball reasons.”
Vitti revealed how neither Gasol nor Odom recovered from this debacle. But he again praised Gasol on how the Spaniard handled the situation.
“Pau is infinitely better at handling it,” the legendary trainer continued. “This is not to knock Lamar, because I love Lamar… But Pau, [an] extremely talented guy, and it [the situation] was not handled well, in my opinion.
“I think the fans look at him and say, he was soft. He was not soft; he was a finesse player. He was not a banger… But I know he was tough because of what he played with. Pau didn’t need you to go public and tell everyone he was hurt, he was sick,” he added.
Gasol, relatively quietly, navigated this rather difficult stretch in his career with grace. He’s considered a legend at the Lakers, and rightfully so. He helped them win two Championships (2009 and 2010) and is a huge reason behind Bryant‘s late-career success.
Gasol’s stint with the Lakers may have ended badly. But today, he is immortalized in the Crypto.com Arena with his #16 jersey proudly displayed up in the rafters.
