Pau Gasol played a vital role in helping the late Kobe Bryant and the Lakers win back-to-back NBA championships in 2009 and ’10.
As NBA teams released their schedules for the 2022–23 season on Wednesday, the Lakers announced that they plan to retire Gasol’s jersey and hang it in the rafters of Crypto.com Arena on March 7, 2023, when the team hosts the Grizzlies.
While Gasol started his professional basketball career with FC Barcelona, he began his NBA career with the Grizzlies in 2001. However, on Feb. 1, 2008, Memphis traded Gasol to the Lakers. In his seven seasons with the franchise, Gasol played in three consecutive NBA Finals from ’08 to ’10, winning two NBA titles and earning three of his six All-Star selections in a purple and gold uniform.
In his split season with the Lakers, Gasol averaged 18.8 points per game and 7.8 rebounds. In his his two championship seasons with Los Angeles, he averaged a double-double with 18.6 points and 10.5 rebounds per game.
But, aside from his production on the court, Gasol’s time in Los Angeles gave him an up close and personal relationship with Bryant, who often referred to Gasol as the White Swan during their playing days.
When Bryant retired in ’16, Gasol told former Sports Illustrated senior writer Lee Jenkins that when he left Los Angeles to sign with the Bulls in hopes of positioning himself to win another championship, it was one of the “toughest” things he had to do. Gasol did not win another title before ending his NBA career, and said he missed the way Bryant pushed him to be a better player.
“The White Swan, the Black Swan, all of that, it didn’t upset me,” Gasol told Jenkins. “It didn’t frustrate me. It showed he [Bryant] cared about me. It was tough love. He was challenging me because he expected more from me.”
Before Bryant’s death in 2020, the Lakers’ legend said Gasol would have his number “retired in the rafters” next to his, citing that the franchise does not win the back-to-back titles without his Spanish sidekick.
“The city of L.A. does not have those two championships without Pau Gasol,” Bryant said, per former SI senior writer Arash Markazi. “Everyone knows that. I really look forward to the day when he’s giving his speech at center court in front of all the fans who have supported him over the years. It’s going to be an awesome night.”
During his entire span in Los Angeles, Gasol played in 429 games while starting 422 and averaged 17.7 points, 9.9 rebounds in 35.7 minutes of action per game.
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