Pau Gasol immortalized in the NBA Hall of Fame

It has been a special year for Pau Gasol. Back in March, the Lakers retired his No.16 shirt, which now hangs from the Crypto Arena in Los Angeles, and to make the culmination of his career in the United States complete, last night in Springfield, Massachusetts, the place where basketball began, he was inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame. Receiving his iconic orange jacket, Pau delivered a solemn speech as he took his place in the Naismith Memorial Hall Of Fame - the temple that brings together the very best of American basketball - both homegrown and a select number of elite foreign players.

Accompanied by his parents, brothers, wife, children and special guests, he took to the stage for 20 minutes to address the world and give thanks and express his gratitude for receiving the highest honor in his sport - to take his place among the best in the NBA, and also to look back on the best moments of an unparalleled career. His enshrinement was one of the highlights of Saturday’s gala along with those of Dwyane Wade, Dirk Nowitzki and his former team mates Tony Parker and coaches Becky Hammon and Gregg Popovich. On the podium he was accompanied by Toni Kukoc, as new members must be sponsored by one or more HoF inductees. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar took leave at the last minute due to a health issue.

Here is a resume of Pau’s speech:

“What a night... What a moment. I stand before you with immense pride and gratitude as I humbly accept this huge honor of being inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. I was to express my deepest appreciation to the selection committee for bestowing this amazing recognition upon me. This moment is a testament to the support, guidance and inspiration I have received from so many throughout my basketball journey.

“I’ll always remember the moment that Jerry Colangelo called me in to tell me the magic words - ‘You’re in’. A pretty powerful moment, I can tell you. My fellow inductees will remember it too. Congratulations to all of you, it’s truly an honor to be in the same class.

“If you would have told me when I was young, a little kid growing up in a little city, Sant Boi de Llobregat, that some day, not only would I meet Toni Kukoc, but that he would be presenting me into the Hall of Fame, I wouldn’t have believed you. And yet here we are, Toni. Toni was a great player, a heck of a player. He inspired so many European players when I was growing up. I looked up to you, and you inspired me to follow your steps. I thought I was going to be a small forward, but I kept on growing and growing, until I was 20, so I ended up playing closer to the basket having to face Jimmy and KG and Dirk... But who knows? Maybe today in today’s game I would have been small forward, shooting threes, all kinds of stuff... Anyway, it turned out pretty good for me so Thank You so much for this incredible honor.

“I also wanted to thank my friend and role model, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. I think many of you know that he was also going to be here, unfortunately, he couldn’t make it. Yesterday he felt under the weather. I just want to say, I wish you well Kareem and thank you for accepting the honor of being my presenter.

“So many people have contributed to me being here, but no one like my family. My dear parents, who introduced me to the game of basketball; they both played at an amateur level, but they played. Thank you so much for all your teachings, for your support, for your love; never missing a game, never missing a practice, taking me to practices after your work. You’ve inspired me; your commitment, your effort, your sacrifices have fuelled me and motivated me. Thank you Mum and Dad, I love you so very much.

“And brothers Marc and Adrià. Growing up with Marc was special. If you haven’t had the chance to watch his NBA career, he’s a special kid! We played for our country, played many championships, won medals... we got traded for each other! Crazy. I think we are the only brothers who ever got traded for each other. And we experienced one of the most special things in our careers which was the All-Star Game in 2015 at Madison Square Garden, it was truly unbelievable to share that, thank you Marc.

“I wanted to take a moment to recognize all the players, some of you are here, coaches... that have come before me. That paved the way. That built this amazing league. Thank You all for your contributions. I truly, truly appreciate them. Thank You.

“ And being from where I’m from, Europe, Spain. I want to give a special mention to those first Europeans that came here - across the ocean, they took a chance. And opened doors for players like myself. Fernando Martín (the first Spanish player to ever play in the NBA), Drazen Patrovic, Sarunas Marciulionis, Detlef Schrempf, Arvydas Sabonis, Tony Kukoc, Vlade Divac, Dino Radja, Rik Smits... amazing players. Thank You to all.

“I started playing basketball when I was a kid, when I was seven years old, just having fun with friends at school with my classmates… but then 1992 happened - the Olympics In Barcelona. I was 12, it changed my life. The Dream Team showed us how basketball could be played. It made me dream of playing at that level, playing with the best of the best. And that launched, really, an incredible growth in the sport internationally. And the 2023 class is a true testament of that. So, thank you to the Dream Team of 1992, and to those teams, also European teams that competed against them… you know, they didn’t do so well, but, you know, it is what it is, they were pretty good!

“Then, when I was 13 years old, my coach at CB Cornellà, my first club team, gave me a chance to play point guard - for a game. Teaching me how hard it was, it was extremely humbling. I struggled tremendously. But what I took from that experience is that, at those ages, I think the importance is in teaching and growing - not so much focusing on winning or losing. That’s an important message as we try to teach our kids to play basketball, girls and boys.

“And the next level I went to FC Barcelona, where I played with many great coaches and players - some of them have become great friends today. A special mention to my good friend Juan Carlos Navarro. I wanted to acknowledge him because he really inspired me to become a better player at that time.

“Then after, the NBA! I got drafted in 2001. Thank you the Grizzlies for giving me the opportunity to play in the NBA, to fulfill my dream. When I first arrived in Memphis I was like ‘Wow, a pyramid!’ Well, I guess all NBA teams play in pyramids here! It’s kinda different... but pretty cool I guess! I still remember my first press conference with Shane [Battier]. My English was very limited. I wasn’t very comfortable speaking what I knew, which was very little. But I quickly recognized that my team mate here (Shane Battier), was very articulate, very smart so I just had to follow what he said. So when the media asked us about how we felt about the NBA, being in Memphis for the first time, the team had just moved from Vancouver... Shane went first, obviously, so I just repeated the last word that I understood, that he was ‘electrifying’ - it sounded good... So Thank You Shane for being here tonight, I love you.

“February 1st 2008. Chris Wallace calls me to his office and gives me the news that I was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers... That obviously changed my life and my career. I know some people in the league were upset about the trade, but it happened. And that’s why I got to know the person who elevated my game like no other; who taught me what it took to win at the highest level. Who showed me how hard you have to work, and the mentality that you needed to have in order to be the best. The commitment you have to make. What it meant, and what it took to be a leader. Kobe...

“That night I joined the team in D.C. and I got to the hotel after midnight and he was texting me, saying, ‘Hey, I want to come by your room. I want to welcome you and I want to say Hello and welcome you to the team’. I said, ‘It’s going to be late, it’ll be past 1 a.m. are you sure you don’t want to wait until tomorrow?’ He said, ‘No, no. It’s not going to be too late, I’m coming over’. The team had a game the next day, at noon... He just wanted to make sure that right away, first hand, I got the message. He said, ‘Welcome to the team. I’m happy you’re here. Now let’s go and win the championship together’. So I said, ‘I’m in, I’m in man, goodnight’. And that was it! No crap, straight to the chase. I wouldn’t be here without you brother. I wish more than anything, that you and Gigi were here today with us. I miss you and love you. Thank you Vanessa for being here tonight, I’m proud to be your brother, and an uncle to your wonderful girls, I love you guys so very much.

“To wrap up, to quote an old phrase: To whom much is given, much is required. I truly believe it. Those values, the pursuit of excellence, the drive to succeed, the love of family, the recognition to give back, the power of empathy - the ones instilled by both my parents, both working in healthcare, honed by Kobe, who always wanting to be extraordinary and epic; and encouraged and supported by my beautiful wife and family. They’re the reason I’m committed to working to make a bigger difference in our world. And I want to encourage you all to continue to find ways to join efforts, to team up, so our impact can be much larger. We have a unique opportunity to do so. Thank you all very much. Muchas gracias”.