On Tuesday night, Pau Gasol became the 12th player in Los Angeles Lakers history to have his jersey retired.
No Laker will ever wear the No. 16 again.
Gasol was honored prior to the Lakers’ 112-103 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. The Grizzlies, who traded him to Los Angeles in February 2008, so that was fitting. After Gasol arrived in LA, the Lakers made three straight NBA Finals appearances. They won back-to-back championships in 2009 and 2010, over the Orlando Magic and Boston Celtics, respectively.
With Gasol in the fold, the Lakers arguably had the best 1-2 punch in the NBA with him and Kobe Bryant. It was only fitting that Gasol’s jersey was lifted into the rafters during a halftime ceremony directly beside Bryant’s Nos. 8 and 24. The two shared a special bond and even after Brynat’s untimely passing, Gasol has grown closer with Vanessa Bryant and her three surviving children. So much so, that Vanessa made her first public appearance at Crypto.com Arena in over three years. She hadn’t been back since the arena hosted her late husband and daughter’s memorial services.
“I mean life goes by pretty fast, right? In the blink of an eye, you can be a kid playing basketball in your school with your buddies, then all of a sudden, you’re realizing your dream,” Gasol said via ESPN. “But tonight, it really exceeds any dream or expectation that I’ve had because it means so much. And obviously, with Kobe up there, it just adds something meaningful and powerful, and sad and happy, and painful and joyful.”
The NBA world had plenty of reactions on social media, as the Lakers celebrated the illustrious career of Pau Gasol — a six-time NBA All-Star and four-time All-NBA selection.
Amazing moment for Pau Gasol, a player who rarely ever got to stand in the spotlight on his own. pic.twitter.com/Q0DDV3JlOK
— Kyle Goon (@kylegoon) March 8, 2023
“I love him. I wish he was here with Gigi, I really do.”
Pau Gasol speaks about Kobe
pic.twitter.com/MeSiD8j258 — Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) March 8, 2023
Pau Gasol on having a night like tonight without Kobe Bryant: "I miss him a lot. I miss him a lot. There’s nothing I can do about it, but to love his family. That’s how I deal with it."
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) March 8, 2023
Jimmy Butler supporting Pau Gasol on his jersey retirement night.
Brothers
#GraciasPau pic.twitter.com/f9QFNWP098 — NBA (@NBA) March 8, 2023
"What's this guy's name? Pau? I'm here because of Pau, obviously! Congrats to my brother Pau. I love you man. Much deserved, Hall-of-Fame coming soon."
Jimmy Butler flew to LA between the Heat's 2 home games to celebrate former Bulls teammate Pau Gasol
pic.twitter.com/scQrBywdVO — ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 8, 2023
Anthony Davis said he told Pau Gasol he wants his No. 3 retired by the Lakers one day to join the likes of Gasol and all of the other legendary Lakers big men.
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) March 8, 2023
Anthony Davis on Pau Gasol's jersey retirement: "That's a huge honor to be up there with the greats and he deserves it. The list of big men that came to this organization, dominated, and left their mark, it's hard not to think about it. Obviously, I want to be in that group." pic.twitter.com/xuWwASOdEa
— HoopsHype (@hoopshype) March 8, 2023
Kobe talking about Pau Gasol in 2018
pic.twitter.com/BcqTry69n3 — ESPN (@espn) March 8, 2023
A big thumbs up to Laker Owner Jeanie Buss & the entire organization for a tremendous evening honoring Pau Gasol! I went to the game to celebrate @paugasol & it was so beautiful to see his entire family at the game including his wife Catherine, kids, parents, brothers,
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) March 8, 2023
[ESPN]
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.