Tag: Pau Gasol

Lakers set date for retirement of Pau Gasol’s No. 16 jersey

Pau Gasol will officially get his jersey retired by the Lakers this coming season, and it will be well-deserved.

On Feb. 1, 2008, the Los Angeles Lakers pulled the trigger on a trade that brought them star big man Pau Gasol, and it massively changed their fortunes for the better.

At the time, they were going through their fourth season after trading Shaquille O’Neal, and, despite scattered moments of strong play, they had been mostly a mediocre team.

But Gasol’s arrival made them instant championship contenders. That season, Kobe Bryant and crew returned to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2004, and in both of the next two seasons, they took home the world championship.

For his contributions during his six-and-a-half seasons with them, the Lakers will retire Gasol’s No. 16 jersey on March 7 when they host the Memphis Grizzlies, the team he played for prior to coming to L.A.

Gasol may have always been somewhat underappreciated by Lakers fans, but his impact on the team was unmistakable.

His zenith with the team came in Game 7 of the 2010 finals versus the Boston Celtics, when he had 19 points, 18 rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots to help it claim the title.

Traditionally, the Lakers have only retired former players’ jerseys following a Hall of Fame induction, but Gasol will be an exception.

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Pau Gasol could have his jersey retired soon by the Lakers

Pretty soon, former Lakers star Pau Gasol could get the franchise’s biggest honor – having his jersey hung on the wall of Crypto.com Arena.

Pau Gasol was one of the better big men in the storied history of the Los Angeles Lakers.

When he arrived via trade in February 2008, it instantly changed the fortunes of the franchise, not to mention those of Kobe Bryant.

Gasol could play the 4 and 5, and he was an outstanding low post player who could create his own shot off the dribble, hit from the perimeter, rebound, occasionally block shots and even handle the ball in transition.

Once he came to the Lakers, they instantly went to the NBA Finals three straight times, winning back-to-back world championships in 2009 and 2010.

Yet, for some reason, he has always been underappreciated by Lakers fans.

But the days of Gasol not getting enough recognition may soon be over. He revealed his No. 16 jersey could be retired by the Lakers as soon as next season.

Although he was sometimes accused of being soft and lacking fire, Gasol played with passion during L.A.’s finals runs, especially when it really mattered.

No one will ever forget the 18 rebounds he grabbed in Game 7 of the 2010 championship series to help the Lakers finally defeat the Celtics and win it all.

It appears soon Gasol will get the same type of recognition that George Mikan, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O’Neal have from arguably the most storied franchise in basketball history.

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On this date: Pau Gasol sends Lakers to second round of playoffs

On April 30, 2010, Pau Gasol made a game-winning shot to put away a young and very talented Oklahoma City Thunder team in the playoffs.

As the 2010 NBA Playoffs began, the Los Angeles Lakers were going for a second straight championship.

However, Kobe Bryant wasn’t himself because of a troublesome knee.

Even as L.A. took a 3-2 series lead in the first round over the young and dangerous Oklahoma City Thunder, Bryant struggled to produce.

He got his knee drained prior to Game 6 in Oklahoma City, and he played more like his vintage self, scoring 32 points on 12-of-25 shooting.

But he still needed help to put away Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and company, as they stayed right on the Lakers’ heels.

L.A. trailed by one with seconds left in the fourth quarter, and it looked like both teams would be headed back to Southern California for a seventh contest.

Bryant missed a mid-range jumper, but his partner in crime, Pau Gasol, got the rebound and put it back in just before the buzzer to give the Lakers a 95-94 victory.

The Lakers would soon regain their mojo, sweeping the Utah Jazz in the next round and overcoming the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference Finals, and Bryant started playing as well as he ever had.

The pièce de résistance came afterward, when L.A. outlasted the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the NBA Finals to bring the city perhaps its most satisfying world championship.

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The players who have been swept the most times in NBA playoffs history

HoopsHype shows the 11 players who have been swept the most times in NBA playoff history.

Making it to the NBA playoffs is not easy. And winning games once there is even more difficult. Just ask the players on the list below made up of the men who have been swept the most times in NBA playoff history.

Shockingly enough, there are some legends on this list, including one from Spain and one who is considered one of the most dominant centers of all time.

Pau Gasol is one of two players to have been swept six times in their career. Gasol got swept as a member of three different teams, with the Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs. Same with Shaquille O’Neal, who was swept as a member of the Lakers, Orlando Magic and Miami Heat.

Gasol was swept out of the first round of the playoffs four times while O’Neal in the first round just twice.

Al Horford could join the Six Sweeps club this season if the Boston Celtics get swept this year, as it has happened to him in the playoffs five times already. Three of them came at the hands of LeBron James, who terrorized the Atlanta Hawks like no other.

Check out the list below.

The players who have been swept the most times in NBA playoffs history

Making it to the NBA playoffs is not easy. And winning games once there is even more difficult. Just ask the players on the list below made up of the men who have been swept the most times in NBA playoff history.

Shockingly enough, there are some legends on this list, including one from Spain and one who is considered one of the most dominant centers of all time.

Pau Gasol is one of two players to have been swept six times in their career. Gasol got swept as a member of three different teams, with the Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs. Same with Shaquille O’Neal, who was swept as a member of the Lakers, Orlando Magic and Miami Heat.

Gasol was swept out of the first round of the playoffs four times while O’Neal in the first round just twice.

Al Horford could join the Six Sweeps club this season if the Boston Celtics get swept this year, as it has happened to him in the playoffs five times already. Three of them came at the hands of LeBron James, who terrorized the Atlanta Hawks like no other.

Check out the list below.

Ja Morant went off again and continued smashing Grizzlies records

In a night to remember in Chicago, Morant reminded everyone why he’s so special.

It’s been a season to remember for Ja Morant. At the ripe age of 22, the third-year Grizzlies superstar is enjoying one of the better coming-of-age campaigns in recent memory. He’s one of the NBA’s premier pure scorers, a legitimate MVP candidate, and has Memphis near the top of the West.

What else could you possibly ask for?

It turns out when you’re as great, and as uncommonly brilliant as Morant, there’s always more waiting on the table. Superstars like him are capable of a pleasant surprise — a legitimate, unstoppable performance — every night they lace up the sneakers.

In a 116-110 win over the Bulls (+1.5), Saturday night in Chicago was no different. More importantly, it was a matter of history and bright precedent in the young superstar’s career.

Look, 46 points are nothing to sneeze at for any player. But Morant’s only in his third year in the NBA, and he’s already making stupendous efforts like this seem all too casual while breaking Grizzlies franchise records. When something like this happens five times in a year, it might even be too much for the franchise he’s almost singlehandedly revitalized in Western Tennessee.

You read that right. Morant’s fifth 40-point game of the 2021 season is five times that of any previous Grizzlies stalwart in any given year. Marc Gasol, Pau Gasol, and Zach Randolph: Step down and make way for a new king. Here’s what might be even more impressive if you’re into the stat sort of thing.

Career 40-point games in Grizzlies history:

  • Ja Morant: Six
  • Everyone else (10 other players combined): 12

At 42-20, the Grizzlies are dug into third place in the Western Conference. They’re a team to be reckoned with come April. If Morant and his capacity to take over any game have anything to say about it, they’ll be a squad to fear well into June.

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75 greatest international players ever: The HoopsHype list

After the great success of our HoopsHype75 list, which absolutely no one disagreed with at all, we decided to put together another one focusing on the 75 greatest international players ever. This is a far more difficult exercise than the Top 75 NBA …

After the great success of our HoopsHype75 list, which absolutely no one disagreed with at all, we decided to put together another one focusing on the 75 greatest international players ever.

This is a far more difficult exercise than the Top 75 NBA players list. In that one, it was all legends. Here, after the actual stars on top, you’re often splitting hairs when picking one role player ahead of another and, on top of that, you have to evaluate how to rate FIBA luminaries who didn’t pan out all that well in the NBA or didn’t play in the league at all.

Though we factored in FIBA accomplishments some, we put way more stock on what players did while competing against the very best (that is, in the NBA). And, of course, the focus is on what they achieved and not what they could have done if A, B or C had happened. Facts over speculation.

As with our NBA75 list, we compiled votes from our staff, removed the highest and lowest rank for each player and awarded points 75-1 for the rest.

It was fun to put together.

Let’s jump in.

75 greatest international players ever: The HoopsHype list

After the great success of our HoopsHype75 list, which absolutely no one disagreed with at all, we decided to put together another one focusing on the 75 greatest international players ever.

This is a far more difficult exercise than the Top 75 NBA players list. In that one, it was all legends. Here, after the actual stars on top, you’re often splitting hairs when picking one role player ahead of another and, on top of that, you have to evaluate how to rate FIBA luminaries who didn’t pan out all that well in the NBA or didn’t play in the league at all.

Though we factored in FIBA accomplishments some, we put way more stock on what players did while competing against the very best (that is, in the NBA). And, of course, the focus is on what they achieved and not what they could have done if A, B or C had happened. Facts over speculation.

As with our NBA75 list, we compiled votes from our staff, removed the highest and lowest rank for each player and awarded points 75-1 for the rest.

It was fun to put together.

Let’s jump in.

Lakers’ Russell Westbrook says Pau Gasol was his favorite player growing up

Los Angeles Lakers guard Russell Westbrook explained his fondness as a kid for Pau Gasol.

It was a nostalgic moment for the NBA world as basketball legend Pau Gasol announced his retirement from the sport.

Gasol, 41, spent the last few seasons playing overseas in Spain following his last stint in the NBA in 2018 with the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Spaniard became a revered figure in the league because of the talent he possessed at his size, and his tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers was filled with memorable moments.

His style of play ended up having an influence on kids who watched him growing up, such as Russell Westbrook, the newest star of the Lakers. Westbrook explained how Gasol influenced his game.

“I’ll tell y’all an interesting fact that nobody knows about me,” Westbrook said. “Pau was actually my favorite player growing up before Kobe because I just liked how he played the game. I feel like he played the game the right way. … He could pass it. He could shoot it, score it. To me, I just liked the way he played the game at his size.”

Westbrook continued about how he tried to model some aspects of his game after Gasol, so it’s definitely an intriguing nugget to see how Westbrook developed his skills.

The 32-year-old guard played against Gasol a few times during the latter stages of the Spaniard’s career, so Westbrook can always say he went head-to-head with one of his idols.

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Pau Gasol retires from basketball; Lakers to retire No. 16 jersey

The Los Angeles Lakers will retire Pau Gasol’s No. 16 jersey after the star announced his retirement from basketball.

Pau Gasol announced his retirement from basketball, he said during a press conference Tuesday.

The 41-year-old big man played in the NBA from 2001 to 2018, but his resume expanded in overseas leagues.

After last playing for the Milwaukee Bucks in 2018, Gasol eventually moved on and played for FC Barcelona in Spain, where he recently won a championship.

He spent a chunk of his prime years with the Los Angeles Lakers from 2007 to 2012. He helped the team to two titles in 2009 and 2010, made multiple All-Star appearances in the purple and gold and got All-NBA Team nods, among other accolades.

Because of his contributions to the team, the Lakers are planning to retire his No. 16 jersey (h/t: Shams Charania of The Athletic):

Gasol is a revered player and human for the Lakers’ fanbase, so his retirement will definitely be an emotional day.

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