Los Angeles Lakers icon Pau Gasol made sure to show his love and appreciation for the franchise after the Purple and Gold confirmed his jersey retirement ceremony in 2022-23.

Gasol's jersey retirement didn't come as a surprise. After he officially called it a career in 2021, the Lakers themselves expressed their intention of forever honoring the Spain international by hanging his jersey at the rafters of Crypto.com Arena. Then in July, Gasol himself said that the ceremony could come as early as the 2022-23 campaign based on his talks with the organization and team owner Jeanie Buss.

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The Lakers, on Wednesday, finally set Gasol's jersey retirement and scheduled it on March 7th, 2023. After it was made official, Gasol took to Twitter to share his reaction to the honor.

โ€œBeyond thankful and honored!!!โ€ Gasol wrote alongside the hashtag #LakersFamily. He also retweeted the Lakers' announcement showing him wearing his no. 16 LA jersey.

It will definitely be an emotional night for the Lakers and Pau Gasol, especially given his history with the team and his close relationship with the late Kobe Bryant. Had Kobe been alive, he would definitely be the most excited to see his brother get that honor and acknowledgement from the storied franchise.

Gasol won two NBA titles with the Lakers alongside Kobe in 2009 and 2010. He's one of the most dominant big man of his era, making the All-Star game six times in his career and posting career averages of 17.0 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.6 blocks.

It's certainly a well-deserved recognition for Gasol, and there's no better way to honor his legacy than a Lakers jersey retirement.