Josep Fenés and Francesc Salvat made the trip to Los Angeles as soon as they found out that on March 7 they would retire the shirt that Pau Gasol wore in the Lakers and that it would be in the home game against the Memphis Grizzlies, the team with which he the Catalan landed in the NBA. “We are from Sant Boi and everyone from Sant Boi would like to be here tonight. It's an honor," Fenés said. "Sant Boi is only known for Pau and artichokes," he joked.
Pau Gasol put on the rings, the ones he won with the Lakers, the night the squad withdrew his jersey and hung it in the Olympus of one of the most legendary teams in the NBA. His number 16 is already next to Kobe Bryant's 24 (and 8), his friend, his brother. Pau Gasol cried.
“I have worn them two or three times since I won them and they transport me to wonderful moments,” he said of that pair of jewelry. It was the occasion. For the first time the shirt of a Spanish player was going to be removed. Gasol also said that he felt like a tightrope walker struggling not to fall into a sea of emotions.
At the break, at the time of the tribute, and at the first change, tears emerged from her eyes, from the initial video made by Vanessa Bryant, present in the center of the track. "It is an honor to introduce Pau, who was very special to Kobe as a teammate, as a person and as a friend," she proclaimed from the screen. "Pablo (so named), Kobe predicted that one day you would be at the top together," and she blew him a kiss.
And Kobe appeared from beyond, speaking wonders of his friend. It was the image that preceded the countdown to unveil the 16 shirt in the heights, along with eleven other Lakers legends. And Pau was already crying, before taking the floor.
"What an incredible feeling, what an incredible honor," Gasol started, surrounded by his family (his parents, his brothers, his wife Catherine, his children Ellie and Max, the owner of the franchise, among others). "I want to start by thanking Vanessa, for the video, for being here. I'm proud to be your brother and the uncle of your daughters," he told her.
Then he addressed the rest, inside the Crypto.com Arena, in whose 20,000 chairs they placed as many 16 shirts, in a spectacular image, and outside, to all those who were following the event from their homes. “Thank you for making me feel so special,” he stated.
"It was an honor to wear this jersey, to play for this franchise, to contribute to this team, to this city," he said. And he paid homage to Bryant (fervently chanted by the audience): “He is the brother who challenged me to be a better player, a better person in short, whom I miss a lot, just like you. I wish with all my heart that he was here, he would be proud of this moment, I love you, brother ”, a phrase that he pronounced looking towards the shirts on Olympus, his included.
"As a child who grew up in Spain, I had the dream of being a basketball player, of playing in the NBA, but never in millions of years did I imagine that a day like this would come, alongside the stars of this team," he remarked. And he advised that "never think about limitations, things can be achieved if you work every day, try to improve", he added.
"It seems like yesterday when I got here," he continued and recalled the seventh game against the Boston Celtics, in June 2010, when he achieved his second ring on this very track (great ovation). That crash configures one of the great memories of him in his sports career.
Then he focused on his family, his brothers (including Marc, another NBA legend) and his parents he said: "Thank you for inspiring me, for the love and for your support throughout your life, for your love, I love you, Our estimate of all cor ", he finished. And he addressed his wife: "Thank you for these impressive children." He also showed his gratitude to the leaders of the Lakers.
He remembered his teammates, “for welcoming me, for elevating me, I hope you feel that this is your shirt, because it is”.
"I love you," he told "the nation" Lakers, "thank you for making me feel so special." And in Spanish he addressed the Hispanic community, very relevant to this team. "Thank you very much, truly, from the heart."
popular acclaim. “I am going to continue helping others, inspiring others, making this world a healthier and better place,” she concluded.
This is how he said goodbye on an emotional night. Until the break, all timeouts were dedicated to paying homage to Pau. Teammates, other Lakers stars or coach Phil Jackson appeared on the screen to accompany Gasol in that exclusive moment.
If something was evident in the stands, it is the affection and gratitude towards him. Jim and Will, two followers of crushed stone, decades sitting in the second row, at the foot of the track, were radiant. Jim told the story that Jerry West (one of those who is in the pantheon that Gasol now also shares), was the head of operations for the Grizzlies and recommended that the Lakers sign Pau, because he could help Kobe.
“The whole dynamic of the game changed and two rings were achieved, which can only be understood with the arrival of Pau and the peace of mind that it brought for Kobe”, Jim commented. “Kobe was a very special player, complicated, and not everyone knew how to play with him. Pau knew how to understand it, they formed a team and became friends. "A good guy, not selfish at all, a player who always thought about the team and not about the points he could score," added the other colleague.
“He was a magnificent player. I remember that when they signed him I felt great joy because Kobe wanted to leave and when Pau arrived they became very good friends, they connected on the court and we started to win”, assured Julio Ibarra.
“And it was wonderful that he spoke Spanish, that there was someone on the Lakers who connected directly with us. It was a blessing for the community," he remarked. "It was as if one of us was playing. Taking away his shirt is an act of justice," he stressed.
"Even my dad felt very happy because after the games on television he could understand him speaking in Spanish, he didn't need a translator," he insisted.
“It was like one of us was playing. Removing his shirt is an act of justice," Ibarra stressed.
