Pau Gasol is one of the greatest international players to have ever come into the NBA, with a glittering resume on both the national stage and the league.
The impact that Gasol has had on the perception of European players can be likened to that of Dirk Nowitzki during his era. They precede the modern generation of European players that have become incredibly dominant.
Gasol was tasked to pick a 5-man European team that could take down Team USA. Maybe he didn’t know Joel Embiid is eligible to play for France now, but he did name the other international All-Stars in the NBA while throwing out a surprise selection.
“I think there are those three guys that are at the top level internationally, which are Luka (Doncic), Giannis (Antetokounmpo), and Nikola (Jokic). These three guys would undoubtedly be on my team. Now the other two guys have to compliment those three amazing players. I would love to include a Spanish guy in that mix.
“You have to have some glue guys. Guys that don’t need the ball as much as these three guys probably do. To me, the guy who comes to my mind is Rudy Fernandez. guy has proven so much and has been such a key contributor to our team doing little things… I think he’s proven and earned that type of recognition. I would get Rudy there.
“The fifth guy… Right now, I’m between probably two players. Maybe (Bojan) Bogdanovic, who’s playing really well at this point… I’m between him and Markkanen, which is also another great player who’s going to be an All-Star this year for the first time. It’s a tough call between those two… But let’s go with Lauri Markkanen.” (h/t BasketNews)
Gasol’s selection of Rudy Fernandez was surprising but he justified it by referring to everything Rudy has done for the Spanish national team alongside Gasol. He picked Lauri Markkanen over Bojan Bogdanovic for his youth and status as an All-Star.
European Dominance In The NBA?
Last season, we saw more European players in the All-NBA First Team than American players, something that would’ve shocked fans just 10 years ago. Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Nikola Jokic have shifted how the game is perceived after consistently solidifying themselves as top-5 players in the NBA.
However, only Giannis has succeeded at the championship stage. Jokic may have a stranglehold over the MVP award and may win his 3rd consecutive one this season but he also needs to break through at the playoff level. There’s still room to grow with more stars emerging and these stars just getting better, so it’ll be interesting to see how the NBA evolves in the next decade.
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