Pau Gasol Blasts The Modern NBA: “The Essence Of Basketball Is Lost”

Pau Gasol sounds off on the state of the NBA today as he states the essence of basketball is being lost.

3 Min Read

Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

There have been many ex-players who have made it clear they aren’t too fond of how the game is played today in the NBA and you can add Pau Gasol to that mix.

Gasol, during an interview with Movistar, spoke on his concerns regarding the state of the modern NBA.

“The defense has disappeared. I don’t just like that the essence of basketball is lost… which is playing as a team,” Gasol said.

“Before you shot in the first 8 seconds of possession and they sat you on the bench.”

Playing defense in today’s NBA is just getting harder and harder. It isn’t that teams don’t want to play defense, but the rules have made it so difficult for defenders. Offenses have all the advantages as the league wants more scoring in order to bring in more fans. The purists may not like it, but the average fan doesn’t particularly care about it. There is also a lot of hero ball that goes on, but there are still teams like the Warriors who put an emphasis on team basketball and it has helped them have so much success.

As for shooting the ball early on in the shot clock, Gasol would have seen that change first-hand. The Phoenix Suns introduced their “seven seconds or less offense” in the mid-2000s and in a way, they set up the stage for where the NBA is today. 


Pau Gasol Spoke On LeBron James Not Being Present For His Jersey Retirement

Gasol recently had his jersey retired by the Los Angeles Lakers and it was a wonderful occasion. Gasol’s former teammates and the likes of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar were in attendance, but there was one notable absentee, LeBron James.

Pau was asked about LeBron not attending the function and he said he didn’t know James wasn’t going to come but added it wasn’t really important to him. LeBron and Pau never really had any sort of relationship, so it isn’t a surprise that James, who is rehabbing from his foot injury, didn’t turn up. 

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Gautam Varier is a staff writer and columnist for Fadeaway World from Mumbai, India. He graduated from Symbiosis International University with a Master of Business specializing in Sports Management in 2020. This educational achievement enables Gautam to apply sophisticated analytical techniques to his incisive coverage of basketball, blending business acumen with sports knowledge.Before joining Fadeaway World in 2022, Gautam honed his journalistic skills at Sportskeeda and SportsKPI, where he covered a range of sports topics with an emphasis on basketball. His passion for the sport was ignited after witnessing the high-octane offense of the Steve Nash-led Phoenix Suns. Among the Suns, Shawn Marion stood out to Gautam as an all-time underrated NBA player. Marion’s versatility as a defender and his rebounding prowess, despite being just 6’7”, impressed Gautam immensely. He admired Marion’s finishing ability at the rim and his shooting, despite an unconventional jump shot, believing that Marion’s skill set would have been even more appreciated in today’s NBA.This transformative experience not only deepened his love for basketball but also shaped his approach to sports writing, enabling him to connect with readers through vivid storytelling and insightful analysis.
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