2. Pau Gasol
Loyalty is just a word often overlooked in a league where the logic of business dominates. Where teams try to win championships, player most of the time, try to get the most money they can.
Today, players more than ever change constantly team, bouncing from town to town among trades, free-agency, stratospheric contracts and pre-agency strategies. Today it is almost impossible to see a player start and retire with the same team like Kobe Bryant and Dirk Nowitzki.
If there is a player who showed his loyalty till the last drop it is Pau Gasol.
After winning his second championship in 2010 as the secondary star behind Kobe Bryant, he was involved in 2011 in the Chris Paul trade later vetoed by Commissioner David Stern. Despite that, he did not ask to be traded and remained in purple and gold for the coming years.
Even when Mike D’Antoni removed him from the starting lineup and his playing style led to a reduced role for the Spaniard, he never complained nor forced his way out of the team, and kept playing hard.
This loyalty defined Gasol’s tenure in purple and gold, especially in the 2010s when he was most tested and troubled by the circumstances. A Bryant favorite, his production, nevertheless, remained of high level, averaging 17.4 points, 10.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 blocks throughout five years.
Pau was the one that permitted the Lakers to return to compete for championships in the late 2000s, collecting All-Star and All-NBA selections, blending perfectly with the team. His skills allowed him to cooperate harmoniously with his big men teammates, showing us some of the best plays in the league in the triangle offense.
One of the best European players ever and a first-ballot Hall of Famer, his number will be one day hanging in the rafters of Staples Center.