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The 10 best Los Angeles Lakers big men of all time

By Cameron Salce

DALLAS, TEXAS - APRIL 24: Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts against the Dallas Mavericks in the first half at American Airlines Center on April 24, 2021 in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
DALLAS, TEXAS - APRIL 24: Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts against the Dallas Mavericks in the first half at American Airlines Center on April 24, 2021 in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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Los Angeles Lakers
Photo by Harry How/Getty Images – Los Angeles Lakers /

Best Los Angeles Lakers big men of all time: 5. Pau Gasol

If any trade in Lakers’ history should have been vetoed it should have been when they fleeced the Memphis Grizzlies by trading Kwame Brown and Marc Gasol for Pau Gasol. Sure, his brother Marc turned into a multiple-time all-star with Memphis, but he never became what Pau was for the Lakers.

Pau ended up being the perfect teammate for Kobe Bryant to play with, and he became one of Bryant’s favorite teammates on and off the floor, which is saying a ton because Bryant was a notoriously difficult player to play with because of his high standards. Similar to the Magic and Kareem relationship, he allowed Kobe to realize it is okay to enjoy the journey on the way toward a goal.

On the floor, he was the perfect big man to play in the triangle offense alongside Bryant and Odom because of his ability to pass the ball and spread the floor with his midrange jump shot.

Similar to Davis, the first season Pau got traded to the Lakers they went to the NBA finals. The difference was that Pau was traded midseason and that lack of continuity lead to them being taken down in the NBA Finals that year by the Boston Celtics.

However, Pau became a top-five Lakers big man of all-time when he helped lead the Lakers to back-to-back championships, and came up huge in game 7 of the second championship to redeem their 08 Finals loss and beat the Celtics. Kobe was struggling to find his shot in that game, and it was Pau who helped carry the load and put in a crucial 19 points in a low-scoring game.

Gasol does not yet have his jersey retired by the Lakers, but it is likely that his will be the next hung up in the rafters next to his close friend and teammate Kobe.

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