Pau Gasol assures he would’ve never made it to the Hall of Fame if it wasn’t for Kobe Bryant

“What a night, what a moment,” Pau Gasol started off his Hall of Fame speech once he stepped on the podium. “Wow. 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. This moment is a testament to the support, guidance and inspiration I have received from so many throughout my basketball journey.”

The Spanish legend, who led the Lakers to two back-to-back NBA titles for the franchise back in 2008 and 2009, dedicated most of his discourse to thank everyone who guided him through his basketball career.

One of the most important was his best friend and teammate Kobe Bryant. “I wouldn’t be here without you brother,” he said with teary eyes. “I wish more than anything that you and Gigi were here 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.”

TONIGHT.@paugasol x #23HoopClass pic.twitter.com/3uawhqUIQg

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) August 12, 2023

The 43-year-old remembered the night he was traded to Los Angeles, they had a game against the Wizards the following day and Kobe insisted to enter his room well after mignight to make sure that the newcomer had arrived to the hotel.

“He wanted to make sure that right away, first hand, I got the message: ‘Welcome to the team, I’m happy you’re here, now let’s go win a championship together’,” he recalled. “So I said, ‘OK, all right, I’m in, man.’ That was it. No crap. Straight to the chase.”

Gasol wore the purple and gold jersey days later in his debut against the Nets, dropping 10 out of 15 shots, winning 12 rebounds and adding 4 assists to his stat line. To his other Lakers teammates, he also dedicated some words: “I’m so grateful to all of you. I hope that you take this honor that I’m receiving today as part of your own. Without you, I couldn’t have done it.”

Gasol revealed that the United States’ dream team from the 1992 Olympics inspired him to play basketball

As he expressed his gratitude over all the people who played a role in him becoming a professional athlete, he didn’t forget his childhood inspirations. The Spaniard confessed that when he saw Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson lead Team USA to the gold medal in the 1992 Olympic Games, he decided he wanted to pursue a life in basketball.

“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,” he shared. “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.”

Gasol is convinced that the rest Europeans from his Class of 2023, including German Dirk Nowitzki and Frenchman Tony Parker, were also inspired by U.S. basketball stars.

“And the 2023 class is a true testament of that. So, thank you to the Dream Team of 1992, and to those European teams that competed against them … you know, didn’t do so well, but, you know, it is what it is, they were pretty good,” he said.

Gasol was inducted to the Hall of Fame after making the All-NBA three times in his 17-year career, becoming a six-time All-Star, winning two NBA titles, and producing career averages of 17.0 points, 9.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.6 blocks and 0.5 steals in 33.4 minutes per match.