As Europe, NBA legends had a minimal but important influence on PAU Gasol.
Today, Pau Gasol is known as one of the best European athletes to adorn hardwoods. After all, Gasol played a key role in the 2009 and 2010 Los Angeles Lakers back-to-back NBA titles.
By then, Gasol was famous as the perfect companion for the purple and gold Kobe Bryant.
Most fans adored the insane skills of gasoll paint. But did NBA players have a direct impact on their post skills? 2x NBA champions answered recently.
Gasol, who came from the Spanish league, had not taken the traditional route to get drafted. Obviously, he was relatively unknown at the time.
Only when Gasol was drafted into the league proved he had one of the best paint skills in the league. So how did he learn that skill?
“I saw and studied different players, worked on things, became more efficient, attacked, and didn’t get scores.
“The coach developed my game.
Simply put, Gasol never restricted himself to just one praise of NBA legend. Instead, he was able to absorb the skills of multiple players and help him dominate the league as a young European.
In the modern era of the NBA, most teams send scouts and focus on foreign talent before drafting.
But that wasn’t the case when Gasol was a prospect. Despite limited exposure in the Spanish league before the NBA, Gasol was selected as the third overall pick in the 2001 NBA draft.
Gasol was traded for the Memphis Grizzlies on draft night, but helped him become a phenomenal player and franchise legend for them.
He even became the first European player in NBA history to win the Rookie of the Year Award for his performance during the 2001-02 season.