Is Pau Gasol a Hall of Famer? Looking at his NBA 75 snub and credentials
Pau Gasol had his jersey retired during halftime as the LA Lakers hosted the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday.
He was a professional Spanish basketball player who played for the Grizzlies, Lakers, Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs.
Pau Gasol's credentials
Pau Gasol started his career with the Memphis Grizzlies, averaging 18.8 points, 8.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game in seven seasons. He was an elite presence at the rim both from an offensive and defensive standpoint.
During his rookie season (2001-02), Pau Gasol averaged 17.6 ppg and 8.9 rpg, winning Rookie of the Year and landing a spot on the All-Rookie first team. He also led the Memphis Grizzlies to their first playoff berth in 2004.
Pau Gasol was traded to the LA Lakers in February 2008 and started to make more strides in his career.
With the bright lights in Los Angeles and with Kobe Bryant at his side, Pau Gasol stood firmly alongside him and made his own mark. He averaged 17.7 ppg, 9.9 rpg and 3.5 apg .
Gasol's biggest accomplishment with the Lakers was being a huge factor in their back-to-back championships. He averaged 18.6 ppg and 9.2 pg during the 2009 NBA Finals against the Orlando Magic. He then averaged a dominant statline of 18.6 ppg and 11.6 rpg in the 2010 NBA Finals against the rival Boston Celtics.
Pau Gasol made the All-NBA second team twice (2010-11 and 2014-15) and third team twice (2008-09 and 2009-10). He was also named an All-Star six times in his 18 seasons (2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2015 and 2016).
Pau Gasol's NBA 75th anniversary team snub
When the NBA announced its 75th anniversary team, there were a few names left from the list which confused people. One of those names was six-time All-Star Pau Gasol.
Gasol didn't have that flashy of a game compared to the other big names in the power forward position on the NBA's 75th anniversary teamt. But his impact on offense and defense, along with what he accomplished, should have been enough for him to be included in the list.
The LA Lakers wouldn't have been able to secure those two championships in back-to-back fashion without Pau Gasol's presence.
Basketball-reference.com lists Gasol's Hall of Fame chances at 93.3%.