ESPN Remembers How "Scandalous" Pau Gasol Trade Saved Kobe Bryant's Lakers Tenure

FOR KWAME BROWN?

Upon his induction into basketball immortality this weekend, the career of Los Angeles Lakers legend Pau Gasol has been discussed from every angle. 

Though Gasol is now solidified within purple and gold lore, analyst Brian Windhorst dissected the most important move of his career in his trade to Los Angeles from the Memphis Grizzlies that ultimately shaped basketball history as we know it. 

"Pau Gasol's arrival saved Kobe Bryant's last act as a Laker. That put everything together. The trade for Pau Gasol, you may not remember this, it was a scandalous trade. Nobody could believe the value that the Lakers got. That team became an unstoppable force. The Miami Heat were formed, in a way, to stop the Los Angeles Lakers. They ended the Big 3's control. His individual career is sparkling, but his impact on the league when he became a Laker is legendary."

via Brian Windhorst, NBA Countdown

Mocked at the time and even more heavily criticized now, the Lakers acquired Gasol for his younger brother, merely a 2nd round pick at the time, Marc Gasol. 

Marc became the best player in the deal but also included were oft-ridiculed center Kwame Brown and guard Aaron McKie out of retirement who was coaching in Philadelphia at the time to make the deal work. 

It was a massive steal and as they say the rest is history. Three straight Western Conference titles and two NBA titles in their time together Bryant and Gasol truly were a duo that you can't tell the story of the league without. 

Gasol's impact on the franchise completely changed the trajectory of the team as Bryant no longer had to carry subpar teammates to middling playoff exits each season. 

Instead, championship glory belonged to LA in a deal that realistically shouldn't have happened. 

If you don't believe us, take it from Stephen A. Smith in one of his most famous rants of all time. 

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