By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Legendary Pau Gasol, soon to officially become a Hall of Famer, was asked to give his Top 10 list of the best NBA players ever. He chose 11, since apparently there was a name he couldn’t leave out of his picks.
“Kareem Adbul-Jabbar, Bill Russell, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki, LeBron James, Stephen Curry,” were Gasol’s choices, per the Los Angeles Times.
“I think those players deserve a special mention because all they’ve done is grow the game and open more doors and provide a better reality and presence for NBA players today,” Gasol explained. “And you have to be thankful for those guys.”
While there are four Los Angeles Lakers players on the list, Shaquille O’Neal is an absence that stands out. Five out of these 11 players are big men though, so maybe that’s enough.
Gasol picked only one teammate, his dear friend Kobe Bryant. Out of all the other players, he faced six throughout his very successful NBA career that lasted from 2001 to 2019. In his rookie year, he played against Michael Jordan and witnessed him scoring 33 points at 40 years of age.
“I think Michael and Kobe had a huge influence on the game,” Gasol commented. “They are two of my favorites as well.”
Gasol, a two-time champion with the Lakers in 2009 and 2010, will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Sunday (12/8), along with his fellow European NBA greats Dirk Nowitzki and Tony Parker. Dwayne Wade and Gregg Popovich are also among the inductees.