Before Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo there was a European star in the NBA, who carried the European representation on his broad shoulders along with his brother Marc Gasol and the German legend Dirk Nowitzki. Yes, we are talking about Pau Gasol.
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The man without whom there would not be 17 Championships for one of the NBA’s two best franchises, the Los Angeles Lakers. The franchise gave its legendary big man his due flowers on Tuesday by retiring his number 16 jersey and hanging it next in the rafters to Kobe Bryant’s jersey, with whom he won two championships in 2009 and 10.
The Spaniard was arguably the greatest from his country, however, he is prouder of making an impact globally and removing the notion of Europeans are soft, which went back a long time, probably since they started coming to the NBA.
Pau Gasol is proud of removing the “soft” label on European Basketball players
Kobe and Pau teamed up in February 2008 but went on to lose the 08 Finals to the Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen-led Boston Celtics. Fans and media in LA and across the States criticized Gasol for not being as effective as he was with the Grizzlies or in Europe before that.
They labeled him “soft” as any other Europeans before him. The Dirk Nowitzki-led Mavericks were also getting major upsets at the time.
Gasol stunned all naysayers when he returned the next season and averaged around 19 points, 10 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and well over a block per game for the next two years. He was even more dominant on defense in the Playoffs.
And so he is proud of being the one to remove that stain from European players.
Also read: Dwyane Wade Gets Emotional After Named the 2023 HOF Finalist Along with Dirk Nowitzki and Pau Gasol
Now the league is being dominated by three European players
Not one, not two, not three, but the league’s last four MVPs have been European. This is no coincidence.
As inspirational as these players from oceans away have been for the past few years, they all drew inspiration from players of the previous generation.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, and Luka Doncic must have seen their opportunities to dominate the league when they would have seen Pau and Dirk leading their teams to championships from 2009 to 2011 against the top players in the NBA on television, as kids.
Also read: Pau Gasol Chokes up as He Reminices Kobe Bryant While Receiving the WNBA Advocacy Award
