On Saturday, Pau Gasol became the first Spanish basketball player to be inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame, joining former Spanish coaches Pedro Ferrándiz and Antonio Díaz-Miguel
During his acceptance speech, he said that it was ” an enormous honour and a testament to the support, guidance and inspiration that many have given me during my basketball journey”.
The double NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers also pointed out that it is “a true honour” to share his 2023 promotion to the Hall of Fame with other basketball stars such as Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker, Dwyane Wade, Becky Hammon and Gregg Popovich.
Gasol, was visibly moved by the tribute, and was particularly delighted to have the European basketball legend Toni Kukoc as a presenter. “If they told me that one day I would not only meet Kukoc, but that I would also be inducted into the Hall of Fame, I would not have believed it. And yet here we are,” he joked.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was scheduled to be his other presenter, but Gasol said that the legendary Lakers player could not attend the ceremony in Springfield (Massachussets, USA) because he was unwell.
Gasol, who was the first European player to be chosen NBA rookie of the year, has thanked the Memphis Grizzlies for giving him “the opportunity” to play in the NBA and fulfill his dream. But, he has stressed that the transfer to the Lakers in 2008 marked a before and after: “It changed my life and my career.”
Gasol has thus joined the coaches Pedro Ferrándiz and Antonio Díaz-Miguel as the only Spanish representatives in the Hall of Fame.
This tribute to Gasol comes just five months after the Lakers retired his No. 16 jersey.
A six-time NBA All-Star, Gasol, 43, also left an indelible mark on the Spanish team, with which he won the 2006 World Cup, the Eurobaskets in 2009, 2011 and 2015, as well as three Olympic medals (silver in Beijing 2008 and London 2012 and bronze in Rio 2016).
