1. Pau Gasol (2008-2018)
Could it have been anyone else? Pau Gasol is the greatest foreign player in Los Angeles Lakers’ history and it is not even close. Gasol may not have as many rings as Rick Fox, but he is a crucial part of franchise history that should never be overlooked nor ignored.
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In fact, it should not even be a stretch for the Los Angeles Lakers to retire his number. Yes, that is reserved for the best of the best, but the Lakers do not win the NBA Championship in 2009 and 2010 if it were not for Gasol.
Gasol obviously was not the best player, as that honor belonged to Kobe Bryant, but he was the perfect star to bring in alongside Bryant that could do enough to play at an all-star level without getting in Kobe’s way.
And that is what he was — an all-star. Gasol was an all-star three seasons in a row with the Lakers from 2008 to 2011 and averaged 17.7 points and 9.9 rebounds per game in his Lakers career. He was a 20-10 guy almost every single night for the Lakers.
Kobe Bryant’s legacy would be slightly different without Pau. While the team could have eventually added a second star, there is a chance that Kobe did not win championships four and five with the Lakers and could have even wound up leaving the team if they could not find him his second star.
They did, and the rest is history. You cannot tell the history of the Los Angeles Lakers without Pau Gasol, undoubtedly making him the best foreign player in team history.