Suddenly, the calm turns to bustle. Here is Pau Gasol (Sant Boi, 1980) and the children who participate in one of the acts of his foundation, in Los Angeles, explode with emotion. They have a dream come true in front of them.
“I feel very lucky for the career I've had and for the places I've been. They have all contributed to having an award like tonight's."
This is underlined in a chat with La Vanguardia by the player who grew up at Barça, was forged in the NBA with the Memphis Grizzlies and touched glory with the Los Angeles Lakers, in which "I was lucky to be part of a golden stage and successful”.
Precisely, the clash between the Californian team and Memphis this morning is the framework chosen to elevate Pau Gasol in the great Olympus of the best basketball in the world. Tonight, March 7, the Lakers retire the jersey with the 16 that Gasol wore and that allowed him to win two NBA titles, his two rings (2009 and 2010).
His name will appear along with ten legends, such as Magic Johnson (32) or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (33). But, above all, his friend Kobe Bryant (8 and 24).
“It is very emotional, and special, with the pain and sadness of not having him alive to be able to share it with him, although with the peace and emotion of knowing that my name will always be linked to his at the top of the pavilion of the Lakers," he says.
“Kobe is a key person in my career, one of the big reasons why my name receives this recognition. He made me a better player, he motivated me to improve, to follow the path he set with his excellence, his leadership, his work and his ambition. He elevated me and allowed me to win championships together, and he also transcended our relationship, ”he emphasizes.
"We're not talking about just anything," he adds with a laugh, reminding him that the tribute is paid to him by none other than the Lakers. The Catalan's career is marked by his ability to go ahead. In his first season in the NBA (2001-2002) he was voted best rookie, the first non-American to do so. And now he is the first Spaniard to be honored with the withdrawal of his number.
“It is a very great honor, it is not one more”, he affirms. “I have been, in a certain way, a pioneer in Spanish and international basketball. I have opened doors, paths, and being the first Spanish player to have a jersey removed in a franchise like the Lakers is extraordinary, difficult to gauge and give it the magnitude it has, ”he says.
It is partly an exercise in poetic justice. Gasol left the NBA somewhat by the back door because of his physical problems. “As a player it is a recognition that I think he goes beyond what a farewell could be”, he clarifies. “But it's a distinction that makes me forget that frustrating ending with injuries. I would have liked to end up on the court, although the end led me to end up playing for Barcelona and participating in the Olympic Games. Everything has a reason for being ”, he indicates. "This today is a very sweet, emotional, wonderful moment to live," he adds.
Let no one look for a guy defeated by the look in the rearview mirror or conducive to nostalgia.
“Life goes on, and this is a celebration to be enjoyed and savored. But, at the same time, this tribute magnifies my name and my figure a bit, and gives me the opportunity to amplify my work and impact in the world and in society to face more projects, make more teams off the track and build things special to help others. And, from here, continue to enjoy and be the person that I am, which is what has brought me to this point”, he points out.
If there is a special memory, it is that of the year 2015. The day that, representing the Eastern conference (he had already embarked with the Chicago Bulls), he made the initial jump against his brother Marc (Memphis), from the Western team, in the All-Star. “He is a star point of my career, historical. That two brothers from outside the United States jumped in Madison Square Garden was out of a movie.
