Ironically, the agreement was made on the same day that the Lakers suddenly acquired Pau Gasol, another international player who the league didn’t even know was for sale in 2008.
As Gasol discussed during his interview on the Knuckleheads podcast with Darius Miles and Quentin Richardson, the Lakers star and Hall of Famer, like the rest of the world, was completely taken aback upon learning of the Doncic trade:
“Obviously, first, I was astonished and amazed. The fact that a player of that calibre is moved at age 25 was quite difficult to comprehend. It simply doesn’t occur, has never occurred, and may never occur again. But whatever the cause, it happened. It’s crazy since I’ve known Rob [Pelinka] and Nico [Harrison] for a very long time. When they came to play here against the Warriors, I was just chatting to AD, and we were planning to meet up. Naturally, he wanted to help the Lakers win another championship and continue to grow. He didn’t believe he would be going anyplace. Then there is Luka, a player who has shown incredible talent throughout his first five and a half years of playing. I believe that Kyrie and the other guys led the club to the Finals last year, and then they were selected to five of the initial All-NBA teams. The Lakers appear to be quite enthusiastic. You think, “Hey, I’ve won big here.” I have a man around whom I can base my franchise. For the Lakers, these are undoubtedly thrilling times. Perhaps these are interesting and difficult times for the Mavs, as they have placed themselves in a situation where they must perform quickly. Maybe nothing less than a Finals won’t do. This move has so many layers and complexity that it’s really amazing. Really, unprecedented.
He had a relationship with the people who made this trade, as Gasol pointed out, but he had no idea. Doncic believed he would play with the Mavericks for the rest of his career, and Anthony Davis wanted to win a championship for the Lakers. However, all of those ideas abruptly stopped.
Lakers great Pau Gasol doesn’t think an American should be the NBA’s face.
One of the smartest and most articulate athletes the NBA has ever seen, Pau Gasol is not afraid to voice his opinions on a wide range of game-related subjects. The Lakers icon recently contributed an intriguing perspective to the debates surrounding the NBA’s public face.
Gasol disagreed with the media’s discussion of the necessity of an American player becoming the league’s face, pointing out that the NBA doesn’t have to have an American face given how popular basketball has become around the world. Gasol went on to say that he believes there doesn’t have to be a single face—there can be several players.
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When word broke that the Los Angeles Lakers had acquired superstar player Luka Doncic, the whole basketball community was in complete shock. Nobody anticipated it, and it has fundamentally altered the Lakers franchise’s course in the near and distant future.
Ironically, the agreement was made on the same day that the Lakers suddenly acquired Pau Gasol, another international player who the league didn’t even know was for sale in 2008.
As Gasol discussed during his interview on the Knuckleheads podcast with Darius Miles and Quentin Richardson, the Lakers star and Hall of Famer, like the rest of the world, was completely taken aback upon learning of the Doncic trade:
“Obviously, first, I was astonished and amazed. The fact that a player of that calibre is moved at age 25 was quite difficult to comprehend. It simply doesn’t occur, has never occurred, and may never occur again. But whatever the cause, it happened. It’s crazy since I’ve known Rob [Pelinka] and Nico [Harrison] for a very long time. When they came to play here against the Warriors, I was just chatting to AD, and we were planning to meet up. Naturally, he wanted to help the Lakers win another championship and continue to grow. He didn’t believe he would be going anyplace. Then there is Luka, a player who has shown incredible talent throughout his first five and a half years of playing. I believe that Kyrie and the other guys led the club to the Finals last year, and then they were selected to five of the initial All-NBA teams. The Lakers appear to be quite enthusiastic. You think, “Hey, I’ve won big here.” I have a man around whom I can base my franchise. For the Lakers, these are undoubtedly thrilling times. Perhaps these are interesting and difficult times for the Mavs, as they have placed themselves in a situation where they must perform quickly. Maybe nothing less than a Finals won’t do. This move has so many layers and complexity that it’s really amazing. Really, unprecedented.
He had a relationship with the people who made this trade, as Gasol pointed out, but he had no idea. Doncic believed he would play with the Mavericks for the rest of his career, and Anthony Davis wanted to win a championship for the Lakers. However, all of those ideas abruptly stopped.
Naturally, after being traded to Los Angeles, Gasol helped the Lakers win consecutive titles, and now that he is a member of the purple and gold, Luka hopes to achieve the same feats.
Lakers great Pau Gasol doesn’t think an American should be the NBA’s face.
One of the smartest and most articulate athletes the NBA has ever seen, Pau Gasol is not afraid to voice his opinions on a wide range of game-related subjects. The Lakers icon recently contributed an intriguing perspective to the debates surrounding the NBA’s public face.
Gasol disagreed with the media’s discussion of the necessity of an American player becoming the league’s face, pointing out that the NBA doesn’t have to have an American face given how popular basketball has become around the world. Gasol went on to say that he believes there doesn’t have to be a single face—there can be several players.
