Each person has their founding moment, the one that marks an existence, for the better or not. Pau Gasol, before becoming a top of humanity, also had it. In his case, to achieve success from above.
“I started playing basketball as a kid, just for fun, with my friends and schoolmates. But then 1992 arrived and the Barcelona Olympic Games were held. I was twelve years old and it changed my life, ”he assured.
“The (legendary USA team) Dream Team showed us how basketball can be played and made me dream of playing at that level, playing with the best of the best and that was incredible growth in the sport and here it is. his will. So thanks to the Dream Team", he stated this Saturday, on a very special night for him and also for Spanish sport.
Some data from Paul Gasol, 43 years old. Six times All Star, two champion rings, his number 16 shirt with the Lakers has hung in the Olympus of the Los Angeles track since an unforgettable night last March, along with that of his friend (brother) Kobe Bryant. These are just the highlights of his career in the NBA, the league of stars. He lacked the icing that crowns him, beyond his stature, among the greatest.
And it came. This Saturday they put on the orange jacket that marks his entry into the Hall of Fame, that hall of fame that only those who have earned it on the track have access to. There are no plugs here, this is meritocracy. In this evening, held in Springfield (Massachusetts), headquarters of the organization as the "birthplace of basketball", Gasol evoked his past, his career and also looked to the future, promising to put his efforts into working "to make a better world ”.
These were the words with which he closed his thanks after receiving this distinction, the first Spaniard to achieve it. His presentation was endorsed by the legendary Kareem Abdul Jabbar (absent for health reasons) and Toni Kukoc, whom he praised as the inspiration for many players from the old continent to make the Americas. In this line, he thanked the work done by the European predecessors who undertook this adventure. The first name he cited was that of the late Fernando Martín.
His speech was full of sensations, memories, thanks to the family, evocations of his native Sant Boi, Cornellá, Barça (love for my friend Juan Carlos Navarro), the jump with his brother Mark at Madison Square Garden in the all-star game (one for each division), where they arrived from the basket in the patio of their grandparents' house, or the exaltation of their pride in defending the Spain shirt, "la familia", with which they won two Olympic silver medals or gold in the World Cups, among many other distinctions.
But the most emotional moment, where his eyes shone more than at any other moment, was when he evoked Bryant, in the presence of his widow, Vanessa, also moved, surrounded by Pau's parents, brothers or his wife with his daughter and his son.
In February 2008, he was transferred from the Memphis Grizzlies, who chose him in 2001, to a flagship squad like the Lakers. "This transformed my career and that's why I met the person who raised my game," he remarked, referring to the one who was the star of the team.
“He taught me to win at the highest level, he showed me how hard you have to work, the mindset you need to be the best, the commitment you have to have and what it takes to be a leader,” he said.
He recalled that, after the signing, he joined the team in a hotel in Washington, late at night. He then he received a text message. Bryant told her that she wanted to go to her room to welcome her personally and from the team. "I replied that it was a little late, better tomorrow, that the team had a game the following noon." But Bryant replied that no, that he was going. "I'm glad you're here," he told her when he saw himself. "Now we are going to win the league together," he added.
"I wouldn't be here without you," Gasol confessed, turning to the afterlife with moist eyes. "I wish more than anything that he was here with me today, I miss you, I love you," he insisted.
Gasol ended up thanking his wife, who is the one who has helped him in the not easy transition from retiring from basketball to another stage of existence. He said goodbye in triplicate, in his three languages: “Thank you all very much, muchas gracias, moltes gracies”.
Shortly after, along with Dwayne Wade, Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker, Becky Hammon and, among others, the great Gregg Popovich, the longest-serving coach in the NBA, they were officially inducted into the Hall of Fame for the class of 2023. Piece of equipment. "I am very honored to be a part of this class," Gasol stressed.
