Pau Gasol Praises Spurs in Hall of Fame Speech: 'Amazing Franchise'

The San Antonio Spurs were part of Pau Gasol's speech into the National Basketball Hall of Fame.

Jeremy Brener | Aug 12, 2023

Pau Gasol Praises Spurs in Hall of Fame Speech: 'Amazing Franchise' /

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While many San Antonio Spurs fans are excited about Becky Hammon, Gregg Popovich and Tony Parker being inducted into the Hall of Fame, another former member of the franchise is joining them in basketball immortality.

Pau Gasol, who played with the Spurs from 2016-19, is being inducted into the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, and he took time during his speech to thank the Spurs for their time together.

"What an amazing franchise," Gasol said. "Pop, Becky, Tony, Manu, I mean one of the things that Pop told me in free agency ... think about the guys you're going to spend time with. ... I loved the opportunity to play with you guys ... My wife and I will always cherish those three years in San Antonio."

Gasol was drafted No. 3 overall by the Memphis Grizzlies in 2001. He became an All-Star with the Grizzlies, but found most of his success as a cornerstone for the Los Angeles Lakers alongside Kobe Bryant, where the duo won back-to-back titles together in 2009 and 2010.

Gasol signed with the Spurs in 2016 and served as a key depth piece on a San Antonio team that made it to the Western Conference Finals.

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Published Aug 12, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.