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Carlos Alcaraz has reacted to countryman Pau Gasol's momentous NBA achievement as the towering Spanish basketball legend's jersey was retired by the LA Lakers in a special ceremony on Tuesday. Gasol became the first Spaniard ever whose NBA jersey was retired, that too by one of the greatest teams in the league's history.
Gasol, who retired from pro basketball in 2021, had a 18-year-long NBA career, with his biggest career successes coming with the Lakers. Gasol won two championships with the Lakers in 2009 and 2010, is a six-time NBA All-Star, and has two All-NBA Third Team selections and one All-NBA Second Team selection.
Gasol's jersey No. 16 was retired by the Lakers as a tribute to his legendary career and his latest feat drew reactions from across the sporting world, including a congratulatory message from Spanish tennis sensation Carlos Alcaraz.
Alcaraz even expressed his sheer amazement at Gasol's achievement.
"Historic @paugasol! Enjoy tonight!" Alcaraz wrote on Instagram.
Apart from Alcaraz, even Rafael Nadal shared a special message of tribute to Gasol, highlighting the significance of the achievement and Gasol's place in NBA history as a Spaniard.
"For LA Lakers to retire Pau Gasol's jersey is something incredible to me," Rafael Nadal said in a video message.
"For them to retire the jersey of a player that is not American, who is Spanish, and someone I personally have lived it very closely, it makes me very excited," Nadal added.
Nadal is still recovering from an injury that has sidelined him since the Australian Open and is expected to return during the claycourt season. Meanwhile, Carlos Alcaraz, who missed the Australian Open due to an injury, is the top seed at the upcoming Indian Wells Masters.
How Carlos Alcaraz can overtake Novak Djokovic as World No. 1 at Indian Wells
Carlos Alcaraz lost his hold on the World No. 1 spot after missing a lot of tennis since the 2022 Paris Masters, as Novak Djokovic overtook the Spaniard in the rankings by winning the 2023 Australian Open. With Djokovic set to miss both Indian Wells and Miami Masters, Alcaraz can regain the No. 1 ranking by winning the former, where he reached the semifinals last season. The 19-year-old will then need to defend his Miami Open title to retain the top spot in the rankings.
Last month, Alcaraz won his first tournament of the season, the Argentina Open. He then reached the final of the Rio Open, where he lost to Cameron Norrie.
But in a matter of greater concern, he suffered another injury that forced him to miss the Mexican Open and a pre-Indian Wells exhibition event in Las Vegas. However, Alcaraz is expected to be fit for his Indian Wells opener on Saturday.
