Pau Gasol lives on the crest of the wave. A couple of weeks ago he was emotionally shocked to see how the Los Angeles Lakers removed his number 16 jersey and placed him in the Olympus of this legendary NBA squad, alongside his friend Kobe Bryant and surrounded by myths like Magic Johnson or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Add and continue. ESPN advanced this Tuesday night the confirmation that Gasol is one of those chosen to enter this year in the ‘Hall of Fame’ (Hall of Fame), an institution that consecrates the best in the most competitive basketball in the world. He is accompanied by a luxury team that includes Gregg Popovich, Dwyane Wade, Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker and Becky Hammon.
The official announcement will be this Saturday, at the beginning of the final four of the university basketball league, the great party that culminates the ‘March Madness’, the madness of March. The entrance party, of consecration, will be held on August 12 in Springfield (Massachusetts).
Gasol, who played three finals with the Lakers (2008, 2009 and 2010), is recognized for his key role in achieving two rings (2009 and 2010) with those from the Californian city. His tandem with Bryant was decisive in those victories. He was the second most important player in that squad, challenging his friend Kobe for the lead. He managed to be a six-time All-Star. He is the first Spaniard to get into the ‘Hall of Fame’.
Gregg Popovich, coach of the San Antonio Spurs, with an extraordinary personality and committed to social causes, led Gasol during the three years he was with the Texas team (2016-2019). Although today his team is going through a period of decline, he is the coach with the winningest record in the NBA and led the Spurs to win five championships.
He also knows Becky Hammon well. Six times chosen for the game of the stars of the women’s league (WNBA), she made history at the hands of Popovich. She signed her as an assistant coach in 2014 and in 2020 she became the first woman to lead a men’s team in an NBA competition game, with San Antonio. She is now the coach of the Las Vegas Aces, the WNBA squad that won the title last summer, in Hammon’s first season at the helm.
Another Popovich disciple is Tony Parker. The French point guard became the first European player to be voted best player in a final, in 2007. He won four titles with Spurs, where he is the player with the most assists in team history.
Wade won three NBA titles with the Miami Heat and was voted the best player in the 2006 Finals. He was an All-Star thirteen times. The German Nowitzki, a myth in Dallas, is the sixth highest scorer in history with 31,550 points, he was the MVP of the league in 2007 and a determining factor for the Mavericks to win the 2011 championship, a final in which he was distinguished like the best.
