Getty LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Pau Gasol
The Los Angeles Lakers retired Pau Gasol’s No. 16 jersey on March 7 and LeBron James and Anthony Davis sent strong messages to the two-time champion.
“Pau, congratulations man on getting your jersey retired,” James said. “You’re a Laker great man. Your name, your number will live forever with the legends up there. You, your brother Kobe (Bryant), Magic (Johnson), Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar), (James) Worthy, so many, so many, so many countless. It’s just super dope and what you did for this franchise, what you’ve been to this franchise, doesn’t go unnoticed. I’m happy to be able to compete against you all those years, not only here in the NBA, but also with the Olympics and Euro Basketball. Congratulations not only you, but to your beautiful family and to Spain. This is super duper dope and hopefully, I’m doing my part to continue the Laker legacy while wearing this uniform. Salute.”
Salute to a legend.
The Lakers acquired Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies in 2008. They made it to three straight Finals, winning it all in 2009 and 2010. Gasol’s No. 16 jersey was placed in the rafters next to Kobe Bryant’s Nos. 8 and 24.
“I miss him a lot,” Gasol said on March 7 about Bryant. “There’s nothing I can do about it but to love his family. That’s how I deal with it. … I miss him. I miss him so much like many of us do. I love him. I wish he was here with Gigi, I really do, but I think he’ll be proud and he was looking forward to this moment. So I love you brother.”
Anthony Davis Congratulates Pau Gasol
Davis told reporters after the Grizzlies game on March 7 that he wants to join Gasol in the rafters one day. AD, like James, sent a powerful message to the former Laker.
“Pau, what’s up brother? Congratulations,” Davis said. “Huge honor to be able to be having your jersey in the rafters here in LA. I had a chance to play against you a couple times and definitely had some fun battles and you definitely is someone that I’ve always kept an eye on throughout the playing career. I don’t know if you know this, but anytime we played Spain and you were playing, it was always nervous because of what you were able to do. The impact that you brought on our game, coming from overseas and putting a stamp for all the international players on the NBA is huge and we thank you for that because it definitely grew our game. You’re a legend here in the league forever and you mean so much to our organization, the Laker organization. I wish you the best with everything outside of basketball and congrats again on having that number sixteen retired for a very long time.”
Gasol averaged 17.7 points, 9.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 429 games with the Lakers. He is the 12th player in franchise history to have his number retired.
“I guess the common denominator is that I provided something valuable to the team to help the team win,” Gasol said. “I wouldn’t dare to compare myself with those great players I have so much respect and honor. Part of the reason that I’m up there is that I helped the team significantly to win those championships. [If] we didn’t win those championships, we wouldn’t be sitting here.”
When Will LeBron James Be Back for the Lakers?
James is currently in a walking boot and there may be a chance he misses more than three weeks, according to NBA insider Shams Charania. The Lakers announced on March 2 that James would be re-evaluated in approximately three weeks.
“Three-week evaluation, re-evaluation for him, and even after that, I don’t know if the Lakers think he’s gonna be back in three weeks,” Charania said on March 6. “I don’t think it’ll be just the three weeks. Likely beyond that. And so you put yourself in a position where you hope that he’s back right before the playoffs or he gets back for the play-in.”
.@ShamsCharania says the #Lakers will re-evaluate LeBron James in 3 weeks, with “hope that he’s back right before the playoffs” 😬
James is averaging 29.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 6.9 assists this season. The Lakers hope that the four-time MVP and four-time Finals MVP can return before the regular season ends, sources told Heavy Sports.