San Antonio Spurs big man Pau Gasol can speak to the nature of the beast that is playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, having two rings on his resume to show for it. LeBron James has nearly a third of the season under his belt in purple and gold, but as the former two-time champ noted, he could earn the love and gratitude of this city by winning it all.
Gasol spent six seasons with the Lakers and is still remembered fondly as Kobe Bryant's sidekick, one who played a key role in the franchise's last two titles in 2009 and 2010 — two memories that have made the 7-foot Spaniard beloved in The City of Angels, despite the unreal pressure that comes by playing with the franchise.
“If you succeed with the Lakers, you will be loved forever,” Gasol told Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report. “But there's also tension and pressure and drama like nowhere else. There are dozens of media outlets that are constantly looking for a story. It depends on who you are and what you're made of. But if you succeed, it's sweet. There's nothing like it.”
LeBron James has gone from a small market with a plethora of media to one of the biggest markets in the NBA that has now the imported media from Cleveland to add to the Los Angeles-based one already there.
Every move, success and failure is analyzed with a microscope, which LeBron James has already grown used to throughout his 15-plus-year career, but he could ultimately make it all worth it by raising a 17th banner at Staples Center.
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