Answer paragraph
His decent outing and overall excellent performance in the Spanish ACB league made Gasol eligible for the 2001 NBA draft and was drafted 3rd overall in the first round. In the 18 seasons he played in the NBA, he became the NBA champion twice in 2009 and 2010, got to be a six-time NBA all-star, and had four All-NBA team selections; twice on the second team and twice on the third team.
Early career
In his first year with the Memphis Grizzlies, Gasol averaged 17. 6 points per game (PPG), 8. 9 rebounds per game (RPG), and 2. 7 assists per game (APG), with 2. 1blocks per game (BPG), and scored his first career-high of 32 points.
His outstanding performance in his very first year won him the NBA Rookie of the Year award, an accolade he was focused on achieving when he entered the world’s premier basketball league.
In doing so, Gasol became the first foreign player in NBA history to win the coveted rookie of the year award. That same year he was also named to the All-NBA rookie first team.
He was also the only player on his team to participate in all 82 regular-season games that very season. But despite Gasol’s best efforts and performances, the Memphis grizzlies failed to qualify for the playoffs. The team finished their regular season with a 23-59 win/loss record.
He kept performing well by averaging 19 points, 8. 8 rebounds, 2. 8 assists, and 1. 8 blocks in his second season where he again managed to play all 82 regular-season games.
In his third season with the grizzlies, he got the opportunity to play his first playoff series. However, his best efforts couldn’t qualify the team for the next round of the playoffs as the grizzlies were eliminated by the San Antonio spurs by a defeat of 4-0 in the first round.
This trend carried for the next two seasons where the grizzlies got eliminated first round; First by the phoenix suns (during the ‘04-’05 season) and second by the Dallas Mavericks (during the ‘05-‘06 season). In both rounds of the playoff series, Gasol averaged a respectable 21. 3 and 20. 3 PPG.
Traded to the Lakers
Gasol began his 2007-2008 season with the grizzlies but was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers mid-season.
He continued playing the rest of the season along with his new teammates Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum, and Derek fisher who were the standout performers for the team that season.
In his 27 games with his new team, Gasol averaged 18. 8 points, 3. 5 assists, and 7. 8 rebounds per game. The Lakers performed above average with a regular-season win/loss record of 57-25.
That season, the Lakers reached the NBA finals against the Boston Celtics but lost four games to two (4-2) in the finals.
In the 2007-2008 playoffs, Gasol averaged 16. 9 PPG, 9. 3 RPG, 4. 0 APG, and 1. 9 BPG showing that he was more than ready to further prove himself and perform to his best alongside his new teammates.
The 2008-2009 regular season saw the Lakers maintain that same momentum from the previous season and improve on it with a win/loss record of 65-17. As a result, becoming 3rd most winningest team in NBA history.
That season, Gasol entered playoffs with a regular-season stat of 18. 9 PPG, 9. 6 RPG, 3. 5 APG, and 1. 0 BPG. Throughout the playoffs, Gasol was one of the best players on the court along with Kobe and the whole team as they moved ahead in the finals.
The Lakers beat Orlando Magic 4-1 to clinch their 15th championship in franchise history. In the playoffs, Gasol averaged 18. 3 PPG, 10. 8 RPG, 2. 5 assists, and 2. 0 BPG, winning his first NBA championship in the process.
Gasol and the Lakers came back strong next season winning 57 regular-season games, progressed through the playoffs, and entered the NBA finals against their rivals the Boston Celtics who beat them 2 seasons prior.
Lakers won the competitive finals series 4-3 winning back-to-back championships. Gasol maintained similar numbers from his previous winning season and elevated his performance in the playoffs by averaging 19. 6, 11. 1, 3. 5, and 2. 1 in all 23 playoff games.
Post championship seasons and later years
The lakers and Gasol kept performing to their best for the next 3 seasons but couldn’t seem to get past the 2nd round of the playoffs.
Due to Kobe’s devastating ankle injury and a fractured left knee he was out for the remainder of the 2013-2014 season and wouldn’t properly return to the court till 2015.
In the meantime, Gasol was traded to Chicago where he spent 2 seasons before getting traded again to San Antonio where he played out most of his remaining career games.
In Late 2019, he was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks where he played only 3 games. After exiting the NBA somewhere in late 2020, he returned to the Spanish ACB league where he played some of his last pro games before retiring on October 5th, 2021.
Conclusion
Some of Pau Gasol’s peak years were with the Lakers where he managed to win his 2 NBA championships and averaged more than 18 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 block for 5 consecutive seasons. His initial years with the grizzlies also come to mind when talking about his best years in the NBA.
On the 75th anniversary of the NBA, Gasol was included in the All-Time NBA European team as part of the NBA 75 vote to celebrate the contribution of European players and their achievements in the NBA.
