Reuters
LOS ANGELES - The life of Pau Gasol improved dramatically in February when he heard the words, "you've been traded."
Then, for him anyway, came the best part.
"You're going to the Los Angeles Lakers."
Overnight, Gasol left the success-starved Memphis Grizzlies and landed with one of the most talented, glamorous and history-rich clubs in the NBA.
Just a few months after the trade, the 27-year-old Spaniard finds himself in the NBA Finals, facing the Boston Celtics, and living a dream.
"I'm having a lot of fun," Gasol said. "Winning to me is fun. Having an opportunity to win a championship is fun. That's something that I've been lacking in my NBA career."
The seven-foot centre with a soft shooting touch played seven seasons with the Grizzlies and never experienced the second round of the playoffs.
An All-Star in 2006, Gasol is widely credited with being a chief reason Los Angeles is in the NBA finals for the first time since the 2003-04 season.
Boston lead the Lakers in the best-of-seven series 2-1 with Game Four set for Thursday.
Memphis, meanwhile, finished 22-60 the last two years and has little hope of turning the tide anytime soon.
"Motivation is obviously a big factor," Gasol said. "It makes you play harder. You're playing for a purpose and that helps.
"Obviously being in LA, the exposure, is 1,000 times bigger than being in Memphis.
"People didn't notice me much when I was in Memphis because we probably had one or two nationally televised games.
"And when the games came on, people really didn't want to watch our game."
Among those attending the Lakers' game against the Celtics on Tuesday at the Staples Center were Hollywood heavyweights Jack Nicholson, Steven Spielberg, Sylvester Stallone and Eddie Murphy.
"I'm definitely enjoying this," he said. "I'm fortunate to have this amazing opportunity."