Hoops Habit
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NBA History: 25 best sidekicks of all time

By Hans Themistode

LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES: Kobe Bryant (L), Shaquille O'Neal (C) and Brian Shaw (R) of the Los Angeles Lakers joke on the bench during the final minutes in game four of the Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs 27 May 2001 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. The Lakers beat the Spurs 111-82 to sweep the best-of-seven series 4-0. AFP PHOTO/Mike NELSON (Photo credit should read MIKE NELSON/AFP via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES: Kobe Bryant (L), Shaquille O'Neal (C) and Brian Shaw (R) of the Los Angeles Lakers joke on the bench during the final minutes in game four of the Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs 27 May 2001 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. The Lakers beat the Spurs 111-82 to sweep the best-of-seven series 4-0. AFP PHOTO/Mike NELSON (Photo credit should read MIKE NELSON/AFP via Getty Images) /
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Pau Gasol
Pau Gasol (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

Ranking the 25 best NBA sidekicks of all time: 19. Pau Gasol

Pau Gasol was miscast as a number one option for the Memphis Grizzlies for years. That’s not to say that he wasn’t a very good player because he was. He just wasn’t a great one.

In seven seasons, Gasol dropped 18.8 points a night to go along with 8.6 boards and 3.1 assists. In the playoffs, he took his game up a notch as he upped his points per game to 20. But, that said, the Grizzlies never won a single postseason game with Gasol onboard. Simply put, he wasn’t cut out to be their best player.

As an unexpected trade sent Gasol to the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2007-08 season, he finally found his groove playing second fiddle to Kobe Bryant.

Not much needs to be said about Bryant, he was named to the All-Star and made All-NBA squads just about every year. He was considered the best player in the league and destroyed the competition. But Gasol was pretty awesome as Bryant’s sidekick.

The big Spaniard made three All-Star squads, after averaging 17.7 points and 9.9 boards. Without him, it’s highly unlikely that the Lakers would’ve made three straight NBA Finals appearances. It’s even more unlikely that they would’ve pocketed two championship rings in the process.