Lakers News: LA's History With Marc Gasol Runs Deep
The Marc Gasol era has officially come to a close in Los Angeles. But does that era really only encapsulate the 2020-2021 season? Laker fans with a good memory or knowledge of NBA history know that it doesn't even come close to being that simple.
In the 2007-2008 season, the Lakers were having a pretty good year. Most fans and experts knew, however, that the roster they had was not one that would go deep into the playoffs. The "Smush and Kwame" jokes ran deep. Kobe Bryant's frustration often was visible. On February 1st, 2008, all of that changed. That was the day the Lakers traded Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie, the draft rights to Marc Gasol and two first-round picks to the Grizzlies in exchange for Pau Gasol and a second-round pick.
That's right--the Lakers had the draft rights to a young Marc Gasol at that time. We all know what happened after the trade for Pau Gasol went down. How was this trade received? it was universally lauded as the Lakers front office most successful acquisition in years. Nobody should be deprived of Stephen A Smith's most glorious rant of all time, so here it is.
Poor Kwame Brown got thrown under the bus by Stephen A Smith there. An entire parade of school buses, truthfully. Stephen A Smith's boisterous candor aside, Marc Gasol being in the Lakers organization lead to the trade acquiring his brother Pau, which lead to two Championships for LA in 2009 and 2010, respectively. It gave Kobe Bryant his fourth and fifth ring. It cemented his legacy as one of the top players to ever play the game. It restored the Laker organization to the loftiest of heights.
Call it some small version of the butterfly effect, call it poetic closure, call it fate. The journey of Marc Gasol's illustrious NBA career starts and ends with the Lakers, even if the individual peaks of his career don't align there. The Gasol family legacy runs deep and often parallel with the Lakers legacy throughout their career. Now that it appears both Marc Gasol and Pau Gasol's NBA days are over, Laker fans should forever be fond of them, and be grateful for their careers.
