“What most people don’t understand is how competitive he is. He wants to be a great player."
—Hall of Famer Jerry West

"He’s taking games over down the stretch."
—All-Star Dirk Nowitzki

"With Pau, you don’t know what he’s going to do. And if you double-team him, he’s a good passer with both hands."
—NBA veteran Austin Croshere

"Pau’s responded from poor shooting nights with great games, and that has been the biggest difference…he’s surer of himself."
—Former teammate Shane Battier

"His rookie year, I think defense made him allergic!"
—Battier

"If he doesn’t play hard every night for us, we can’t win."
—NBA veteran Damon Stoudamire

"Most guys who are starters on their teams, nine times out of ten, are selfish guys. Pau is totally the opposite. He plays to win games."
—Former teammate Chucky Atkins

"He’s efficient—he shoots over 50 percent, faces you, backs you down, and gets to the free throw line."
—NBA coach and broadcaster Jeff Van Gundy

"Gasol is a matchup nightmare to end all matchup nightmares. How do you guard a guy like that?"
—NBA veteran Kurt Thomas

"Pau has accepted the responsibility that he has to be effective night in and night out."
—NBA coach and broadcaster Mike Fratello

"Pau can’t do what Shaq can do, but Shaq can’t do what Pau can do."
—Fratello

"He loves to play the game. When you find a player who loves to play, you’ve got someone special."
—NBA coach Sidney Lowe


"There are certain guys in this league who are tough matchups, like Duncan, Shaq and Dirk Nowitzki, and you’ve got to put Pau in that category."
—NBA coach Doc Rivers

"We were all kind of down. And then Pau came."
—Teammate Lamar Odom

"He's a great guy. Real laid-back and easy going, easy to talk to."
—Odom

"What they did in Memphis is beyond comprehension. There should be a trade committee that can scratch all trades that make no sense."
—NBA coach Gregg Popovich

“He’s a terrific player. He does everything. If he’s not scoring, he’s still doing everything to help his team win."
—NBA coach Jerry Sloan

"He’s a rock star there—you wouldn’t believe the Pau Boom in Spain. It’s like the second coming of the Beatles."
—NBA scout Walter Szczerbiak