La Liga champions, European Championship champions, World Championship champions, NBA championships, and in addition to the Olympic championships, Gasol has won all the basketball championships he can participate in. However, can you believe that such a basketball genius was once scolded by the fans and couldn't hold his head up? If there were no 10 years of redemption, maybe even if Gasol retires now, he will be taken out from time to time to "whip the corpse".
The skill of the defender, but doing the work of the inside
Gasol grew up in a family of medicine and basketball, and when he was a child, Gasol wanted to pursue a career in medicine, but under the subtle influence of his parents, Gasol began to get into basketball at the age of 7.
At the beginning, because Gasol was still young and not tall, Gasol could only play guard, in order to be able to become the "child king" in the children's pile, Gasol worked hard to practice outside control skills, plus the guidance of parents with basketball background, Gasol quickly mastered the skilled outside skills.
But Gasol's rapidly growing height has put his position at guard a bit precarious, and Gasol has had to adapt to his new role again and again, from guard to small forward to power forward.
However, the increase in height only changed Gasol's position on the court, but he never gave up on Xi the skills of a defender. When he participated in the European Junior Basketball League, the referees there were very strict in the game, and the slightest physical contact would be whistled for a foul, in order to play better in the game, Gasol could not rely on his height and arm span for a long time to play, and could only dominate the court through more exquisite basketball skills.
As Gasol's performance on the court got better and better, he gradually built up his self-confidence, he thought that he would be one of the best players in the world in the future, but after watching the performance of the American Dream Team at the Barcelona Olympics, Gasol gradually recognized the reality, he knew that the best athletes in the world came from the NBA, and there was still a big gap between him and the guys in the NBA, and since then, Gasol has begun to train harder, and he is determined to become an NBA player.
Join the Lakers and become the man behind Kobe
In 2001, Gasol was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks with the third pick in the first round, but was soon traded to the Grizzlies.
In the days of the Grizzlies, Gasol improved quickly, he could organize, attack, and defend, and the Grizzlies quickly entered the playoff list, but they have been stopped in the first round, which also confirms the old saying in the NBA, defense can win the championship, although Gasol has a variety of offensive skills, but due to the influence of the playing environment when he was a child, Gasol has always had flaws in defense, which makes it difficult for the Grizzlies to go further.
In 2008, the Lakers were looking for a qualified second-in-command to complement Kobe Bryant for a championship, and the Grizzlies were interested in sending Gasol away to rebuild, so the two teams quickly reached an agreement.
Gasol, who came to the Lakers, quickly developed good chemistry with the team, and Gasol's docile personality and Kobe Bryant's tough style also complemented each other, and this year, the Lakers finally stepped on the stage of the NBA Finals again after a gap of 5 years.
In the finals, the Boston Celtics' desire for the championship is not lost to the Lakers, the Green Army played very tough on the court, Gasol, who has never tried the NBA finals, obviously can't adapt to such an intensity of the game, in defense and offense, Gasol was completely blown up by the "wolf king" Kevin Garnett, in the face of the passionate wolf king, Gasol showed unprecedented fear and inferiority. Even head coach Phil Jackson has publicly criticized Gasol, saying his defense is like toilet paper.
The Lakers fought 6 games against the Green Army in the Finals, but due to Gasol's abnormal play, the Lakers finally lost to the Green Army and unfortunately lost.
After the game, the overwhelming ridicule and abuse poured towards Gasol, and in the sound of soft eggs, Gasol decided to abandon his previous way of playing, he understood that if he wants to succeed in the NBA, he relies on toughness and positivity, and elegance will only let others bully. In the offseason, Gasol worked his muscles and strength, and he had to prove that he wasn't a soft guy with his actions.
In 2009, the Lakers once again reached the finals, and this time Gasol faced a tougher interior overlord - Warcraft Howard, with the experience of last year's finals, Gasol has done enough determination to fight hand-to-hand on the inside, under the control of Kobe, Gasol is very handy in both high jump shots and strong inside play, and finally the Lakers easily won the championship in 5 games. Gasol's average of 18.6 points, 9.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game is perfect, and he has finally captured the respect of fans and teammates.
Gasol's first championship ring wasn't a tough one, but his second ring wasn't that simple. In 10 years, the Lakers reached the Finals again, and the opponent was the Boston Celtics, who "humiliated" him in 08, and in the face of this new hatred and old hatred, Gasol is bound to prove himself to the fans.
This year's Finals is likely to be the last 20 years in the NBA
The most exciting and difficult finals, the two teams staged an unprecedented defensive and hand-to-hand battle, which made even the mentally prepared Gasol a little unexpected, but Gasol quickly adapted to the rhythm of the game. This time he still faces this Garnett, but Gasol is no longer the Gasol of two years ago, he is already a championship-level player, he plays more confidently and calmly, no matter how bad the situation on the court, he can always find the best passing route, the most stable way to score.
The finals were played to the last game, but this time the winner was the Lakers, and although the process was extremely difficult, the result was always good.
According to technical statistics after the game, Gasol averaged 18.6 points and 11.6 rebounds per game, which was an increase of 4 points and 1 rebound from 08. Some fans even think that Gasol's role in the finals is comparable to Kobe's, and it is not an exaggeration to award the FMVP trophy to Gasol, which is enough to prove how good Gasol's performance is in this finals.
Two championships in 3 years, Gasol assisted Kobe Bryant to reproduce the glory of the Lakers in the past, and in these difficult days, the friendship between Gasol and Kobe Bryant has also warmed up, and their brotherhood has also become a good story in the NBA, and some fans ridiculed that Gasol is the man behind Kobe.
The five Olympic games have become a monument in the history of Spanish basketball
As a palace-level figure in the history of Spanish basketball, Gasol has broken his heart for the Spanish men's basketball team.
In 04, only 24-year-old Gasol appeared on the Olympic stage for the first time in Athens, at this time he was full of spirit, played well on the stage of the Olympic Games, led the Spanish team to win all 5 games in the group stage, ranked first in the group and successfully advanced to the quarterfinals, but met the basketball hegemon in the 8-in-4 game The United States team, with Marbury's extraordinary performance, the United States team reversed Spain to win, and the Spanish team's ranking was fixed at the seventh in the world.
In all six games of the Spanish team, Gasol can score an average of 22.4 points per game, like the world's No. 1 inside, but unfortunately met the United States team in advance, otherwise the Spanish team would definitely be ranked more than seventh.
At the Beijing Olympics, Gasol led the Spanish team to the world championship again, although the game against the Chinese team almost capsized in the gutter, but Gasol still helped the Spanish team through the danger with a key play in the last moments. However, this time the Spanish team ranked well and won the runner-up. Even against the world's number one team, the United States, Spain showed amazing tactical literacy and team cohesion, and they fought against the United States until the last few minutes, which can be said to be missing out on the title.
At the London Olympics, Spain made a comeback and continued to attack the Olympic gold medal, but there seems to be a gap between them and the American team, no matter how hard they try, they have never been able to cross the mountain of the American team and win the runner-up again.
As the golden generation of the Spanish men's basketball team has aged, their dominance on the international stage has also weakened, with the Spanish men's basketball team finishing third at the Rio '16 Olympics and the sixth place finish at the Tokyo Olympics.
From a young boy to a playing year and then to the veteran of the team, Gasol's positioning in the Spanish men's basketball team is also constantly changing, in fact, since the Rio Olympics, Gasol is no longer the absolute core of the team, and the reason why he also participated in the Tokyo Olympics, on the one hand, because of his love for basketball, on the other hand, it is the responsibility of the national team, he has to stand the last post for the Spanish men's basketball team.
epilogue
On June 3, 2022, Gasol was awarded the Royal Grand Cross, the highest award in Spanish sports, on March 8, 2023, the Lakers successfully retired Gasol's jersey, and on April 1, 2023, Gasol was successfully inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame. Although he is not as well-known as those famous power forwards in NBA history, Gasol has long been an immortal legend in basketball history!