C.When a player begins a career in the NBA, dreams of the Hall of Fame. Also with titles, of course, but entry into the hall of fame It is the most significant of all the recognitions that can be obtained.. It is the culmination of the journey, the ultimate achievement, the entrance into Olympus. And that is what Pau Gasol has achieved since this Sunday.
The one in Sant Boi has become the first player in history to join the most select club in the sport and he did it surrounded by his family, his parents Marisa and Agustn and their brother Marcand presented by Toni Kukoc. should have been too Kareem Abdul-Jabbar but Pau himself said that the legendary pvot could not attend the ceremony because he was unwell.
“It is a huge honor“, said Pau in his intervention. “This is a testament to the support, guidance and inspiration so many have given me during my basketball journey.“. Pau had earlier words for the Croatian player who was in charge of presenting him, Toni Kukoc, “If they told me that one day I would not only meet Kukoc but also introduce myself to the Hall of Fame, I would not believe it. And yet here we are.”
Pau turned to his parents to thank them for having been ‘guilty’ of living a dream today: “Many have contributed to my being here today, but no one has done it like my family.“, and especially had words with his brother Marc, remembering the initial jump in the All Star or his triumphs together with the Spanish team, as well as the fact that they were the only brothers exchanged in a transfer in the history of the NBA.
Kobe Bryant, present
Of course, in everything that refers to Pau Gasol, the memory of his ‘other’ brother, Kobe Bryant, the player with whom he won two rings in the Lakers and established a very special friendship: “During my stay in LA I was able to meet the person who raised my game like nobody elsewho taught me what it takes to win at the highest level, who showed me how hard you have to work and the mindset you have to have to be the best. I wouldn’t be here without you brother. There is nothing I wish more than to have you and Gigi with us today. I miss you and I love you“, said Pau very excited. Vanessa, Kobe’s widow, was among the audience.
As part of his speech, Pau Gasol referred to players like Drazen Petrovic, Arvudas Sabonis or Fernando Martín as “pioneers and idols” in European basketball and also gave great importance to teammates like Dirk Nowitzki or Tony Parker, also in the same promotion, the great moment that international basketball is experiencing today in the NBA.
The Spanish team slipped, of course, into the emotional words of Pau Gasol in his introduction to the Hall of Mame in Springfield. And he personified that stage of his life in Juan Carlos Navarro, whom he described as a “player with a special talent”.
After the withdrawal of his shirt in the Lakers, in a ceremony that for the general public was perhaps more spectacular, his induction into the Hall of Fame has arrived, which for any player who starts playing is an unattainable dream. He already has it, Pau is already in the Hall of Fame the highest level that someone can achieve in basketball. His journey, his legendary career, culminates here.
