Pau Gasol

Pau Gasol Sáez (Barcelona, July 6, 1980) is a former Spanish basketball player who played 18 seasons in the NBA, where he was champion twice, and another 3 in the FC Barcelona. At 2.13 meters tall, he played in the position of power forward. Pau is widely considered the best Spanish player of all time, among the best Europeans to have played in the NBA and one of the most decisive FIBA players in history.

Pau became the second Spaniard to play in the NBA after Fernando Martín, being the first to be chosen to play an NBA All-Star Game (Houston 2006), to qualify for the playoffs (with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2003-04), and in winning the NBA championship (twice with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2008-09 and 2009-10). Additionally, he was the first non-American player to be named NBA Rookie of the Year (in 2002).

He was selected third overall in the 2001 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks, but his rights were traded to the Memphis Grizzlies where he played six and a half seasons. Upon leaving the Grizzlies he held the franchise records for most total points scored, games played, minutes played, field goals made and attempted, free throws made and attempted, defensive rebounds, offensive rebounds, total rebounds, blocks and turnovers. February 3, 2008 Gasol was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers for Kwame Brown (number 1 in the 2001 draft), Javaris Crittenton and Aaron McKie, two first rounds of the 2008 and 2010 drafts and the rights that the Lakers had over his brother Marc Gassol.

On May 13, 2009, he was chosen for the first time in his career in an NBA All-Star Quintet, specifically in the Third Quintet. In 2010 he was chosen for the second time in the third five, and in 2011 and 2015 he was chosen in the second five. He is one of only four players in NBA history with at least 20,000 points, 11,000 rebounds, 3,500 assists and 1,900 blocks accumulated during the regular season, along with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett.

In February 2021, after 18 seasons in the NBA, and after almost a year and a half without playing, he decided to return to FC Barcelona, to prepare for the Tokyo Olympics, which would be his last tournament as a professional. On August 4, he was elected to the International Olympic Committee Athletes Commission.

On October 5, 2021, he announced his retirement as a professional player and, on the 19th of the same month, the Council of Ministers of Spain approved the awarding of the Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Sports Merit, being the highest honor to which an athlete in Spain can aspire, and which was delivered in June 2022. On November 30, 2021, the Government of Catalonia awarded him the Creu de Sant Jordi, a of the highest Catalan distinctions, which he was also awarded in June of the following year. In March 2022, the Gigantes del basket magazine awarded him the 'Giant Legend', during the 34th gala of the Gigantes Awards of Basketball.

In July 2022, he joined the board of directors of Overtime Elite, a new player development project in Atlanta, Georgia.

On March 7, 2023, the Los Angeles Lakers retired his number 16 jersey.

Sports career

Spain

He began to play basketball in the school categories of his school, called Col legi Llor, from there he signed for CB Cornellà, which at that time was a youth academy for FC Barcelona, where it began to be more difficult for him combine studies and elite sport. In Cornellá and with a height of 1.85, he was the point guard, which helps to understand the magnificent control of the ball that the Santboian has.

In the 1997-98 season, at the age of 16, Gasol joined FC Barcelona, a team with which he was proclaimed Junior Spanish Champion. Since then, Pau began to participate in the calls with the Spanish team in lower categories.

In 1998 the team won the European Youth Championship and the Albert Schweitzer trophy. In both championships, Pau drew the attention of several American universities, which offered him scholarships to study and play basketball in the United States. The most curious thing of all is that Pau did not have too many minutes, but his height, size and coordination was what caught the attention of the scouts. However, and despite the fact that the proposal seduced the Spanish, Pau dismissed the idea to try to succeed in Spain. An important man in that decision was Joan Montes, who assured him of his help to grow at all levels in the club. Gasol made his debut in the ACB League on January 17, 1999 against Cáceres C.B. who played at home and beat FC Barcelona 92-78 in a match played at Pabellón V Centenario, he played 3 more games with the first team, the rest he spent with the EBA League team.

FC Barcelona (1999-2001)

In the 1999-00 season he was definitively promoted to the ACB League team but without enjoying excessive prominence, quite the opposite of 2000-01, a season in which Gasol had to replace the injured Rony Seikaly, Barça's star signing. His total irruption has two key points: the ACB League playoffs and the Copa del Rey in Malaga in March 2001. In both championships he won the title (it was his second ACB season) and the MVP. However, the team could not fight for the Euroleague after losing to Benetton Treviso in a match where Gasol was unable to play due to an untimely appendicitis.

He would average 11.3 points and 5.2 rebounds in 23.8 minutes of regular season. With the interest of several NBA franchises after him, Gasol declared himself eligible for the 2001 NBA Draft after winning the double and, later, achieving the bronze medal in the summer during the Eurobasket in Turkey.

NBA

Memphis Grizzlies (2001-2008)

Season 2001-02

Gasol, with the Grizzlies shirt in 2007.

The forecasts for the draft placed him between elections 10 and 15, so the option that gained the most strength was to stay one more year in Barcelona since not being in the top 10 it represented an economic impediment by not being able to terminate his contract. However, Pau was chosen by the Atlanta Hawks in position 3 of the 2001 draft, becoming the first player not formed in the United States chosen with the highest number in the draft at that time (he would later be surpassed by Yao Ming, Darko Milicic and Andrea Bargnani). Moments after his election, Gasol was traded along with Lorenzen Wright and Brevin Knight to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for the rights to then-franchise player Shareef Abdur-Rahim and the 27th pick in the 2001 draft, Jamaal Tinsley. The official presentation of him took place on October 1, 2001 with 16 on his back.

In his first season he made his debut against the Detroit Pistons, on November 1, getting his first two points after an assist from Jason Williams and a subsequent dunk. He ended up scoring 4 points. An injury to Stromile Swift in Game 4 allowed Pau to start against the Phoenix Suns, going up to 27 points; since then he would not lose ownership of the team.

His averages in his first season were 17.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.06 blocks in 82 games, the only player on the team to play every league game. Numbers that earned him the unanimous Rookie of the Year award after winning the best rookie award in the months of November, January and March.Obviously, he was also included in the Best Quintet of Rookies. He led rookies in points, rebounds, blocked shots and shooting percentage. He was the team's top scorer 37 times, and the team's top rebounder 43 times, scoring in double figures in 72 of the 82 games, including 30 games with 20+ points and 3 with 30+ points. He was a part of the All Star show playing the Rookie Challenge, where he contributed to the victory of the rookies with 10 points and 7 rebounds.

His best performance came on April 5, 2002 with 32 points (highest in points that season) and 14 rebounds against the Houston Rockets, against whom he was about to sign his first triple-double that same month with 18 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists. His top rebounder was 17, against the Orlando Magic. A spectacular dunk was also left for history against his favorite player, Kevin Garnett, who a play earlier had challenged him by applauding him in the face after beating him. The entire Pyramid stood up to applaud the Spaniard wildly despite the fact that the game was sentenced for the Grizzlies.

The team went 23-59 in a season of transition. Misfortune also struck the Grizzlies, who saw the loss of two players with great hopes: Bryant Reeves and Michael Dickerson. Victims of eternal injuries, they announced their retirement from professional basketball.

Season 2002-03

In the 2002-03 season, he slightly improved his individual performance with 19 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists, but curiously he played almost one minute less on average, due to the rotation policy followed by the new coach Hubie Brown after Sidney Lowe was fired with the team 0-8.

For another year, he was the only Grizzlie not to miss a game. He finished 9th in the league in shooting percentage (51%), 10th in double-doubles (32), 12th in rebounds (8.8), 14th in blocked shots (1.8) and 30.º in scoring (19 average). He averaged 22.8 points, 10.8 rebounds and 2.5 blocks in the month of January, matching his record for points on as many as 3 occasions, against the New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers and Toronto Raptors. In rebounds he equaled him on 4 occasions, and in blocks only once, equaling his 7. He participated, again, in the match between rookies and sophomores at the All Star in 2003, improving this time with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Possibly his best game that year he curdled against Boston Celtics on March 3, 2003 with 23 points and 17 rebounds.

The team was shipwrecked again with 28 wins and 54 losses, but the course of the franchise would change radically from the following year.

Season 2003-04

In 2003-04, the team reached the playoffs for the first time in its history, thanks to a 50-32 record in the regular season. to play 31.5) and therefore, his averages, 17.7 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists. Despite this, he led the team in scoring, rebounding, and blocks. He missed his first NBA game on April 5, 2004 with a foot injury, ending his streak of 240 consecutive games on court, the 6th-best streak in the league. He surpassed his record in scoring, rebounding and blocks. In points against the Cleveland Cavaliers with 37, on November 29, 2003, in rebounds with 18 against the Los Angeles Clippers and equaled a franchise record with 8 blocks, achieved against the Phoenix Suns, in addition to scoring 17 points that night, capturing 10 rebounds and dish out 5 assists. He managed to reach 3,000 points on October 31, 2003 against the Boston Celtics, and 1,500 rebounds on November 12, 2003 against the Orlando Magic.

In the playoffs they lost 4-0 against the San Antonio Spurs in the 1st round, with insufficient numbers from Pau, 18.5 points, 5 rebounds and 2.5 assists.

Season 2004-05

The 2004-05 season began with the renewal of Gasol. On September 30, 2004, Memphis recognized Pau's great work by extending his contract until the 2010-11 season. Gasol ended his rookie contract with the Grizzlies in June 2005, but a maximum extension was signed for which he would go to collect about 86 million dollars for the next six years.

For the second consecutive year, the team reached the playoffs after a record of 45-37, in a season in which up to three coaches passed through the Grizzlies' bench. Brown had to retire at 5-7 due to health problems, being replaced by Lionel Hollins, an interim franchise who was in charge of the team until Mike Fratello was signed, with whom the team shot up with 40 wins and 26 defeats. The new coach of the franchise was a coach whose success was based on defense, long possessions and basketball-control, aspects that did not favor Gasol's personal brilliance but gave results. In an average of 32 minutes he had 17.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists, improving his performance in the postseason with 21.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 33.3 minutes, although achieving the same result, 4-0, this time against the Phoenix Suns.

He was voted player of the week in the Western Conference from December 27 to January 2, after posting 23.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.3 blocks. He played his best game of the season against the Sixers with 34 points, 15 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 blocks and 1 steal. That season, Pau would have his first serious injury in the NBA, a plantar fasciitis that would force him to miss 23 games. That was on January 25, 2005, at the end of November, a sprained ankle would make him miss 3 games. On November 12 against the Golden State Warriors he would match a franchise record of 5 blocks in a first half. On January 11 against the Indiana Pacers he scored 31 points and 4 blocks, reaching 5000 points and 500 blocks in his career.

2005-06 season

In the 2005-06 season, Gasol played in the NBA All-Star Game in Houston, being the first Spaniard and the first player from the Grizzlies to achieve it, and managing to be the top rebounder of the game with 12 rebounds.

He reached the playoffs for the third time in a row, but the team kept leaving empty, this time falling into the hands of the Dallas Mavericks 4-0 for the third time in a row. In 39.5 minutes Pau went up to 20.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3 assists.

In the regular season, he finally reached the 20-point barrier, with 20.4, as well as 8.9 rebounds and 4.6 assists in 39.2 minutes, an amount that was more in line with what his leading role in the team claimed. He led the team in points 40 times, rebounding 44 times, assists 39 and blocks 49 times. He finished 19th in the league in points, 17th in rebounds, 13th in blocks and 11th in minutes. He surpassed his personal high for points against the Seattle Supersonics on March 28, 2006 with 44, and signed his first triple-double also against the Sonics with 21 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists. He was named player of the week in the Western Conference twice. In addition, he became the top rebounder in franchise history, surpassing the 3,072 that led that section. One of his most remembered games that season is the one against Dirk Nowitzki, winning the game with 36 points, 15 rebounds and 5 assists. He scored game-winning baskets at the buzzer against the Golden State Warriors and Atlanta Hawks.

Season 2006-07

Gasol ante L.A.Lakers, a few days before its transfer in January 2008.

Gasol had to miss the start of the season (23 games) due to the injury he suffered in the semifinals of the World Cup in Japan against Argentina. After his return, he improved especially in the rebounding facet, where his averages grew substantially. He finished the season with 20.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.1 blocks, the best on an individual level but marred by the poor performance of the team, 22 wins and 60 losses.

The team fired Mike Fratello and with Tony Barone the team played more attacking, despite getting no results. In the month of December, Gasol averaged more than 17 points. In January he signed 21.9 points, 10.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.7 blocks; in February he had 21.8 points, 11.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.4 blocks; in March he had 21.7 points, 10.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2 blocks; in April he had 20.4 points, 11.1 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 2 blocks. He had his best game, and his top scoring game of the year, against the Los Angeles Lakers on March 22 with 35 points and 15 rebounds.

In a game against the Toronto Raptors on March 7, 2007, Gasol needed nine points to surpass Shareef Abdur-Rahim's 7,801-point mark and become the leading scorer in Grizzlies history. He finished the match with 16 points and his compatriots José Manuel Calderón and Jorge Garbajosa witnessed that historic match. During this season his name came to the fore in a hypothetical transfer. Gasol wanted to get out of a team anchored and without aspirations to one where he could opt for the ring, and there were many teams on the market that yearned for the Spaniard. However, the demanding demands of Jerry West made the agreement difficult. The team that insisted the most was the Chicago Bulls, but West asked Ben Gordon, Kirk Hinrich and Luol Deng, demands to which the Bulls refused. Boston Celtics and New Jersey Nets, among others, were some of the franchises that they talked to each other

Season 2007-08

The arrival of a new coach to the franchise, Marc Iavaroni, brought about a radical change in the way of understanding the game and in the roles of the players, giving Rudy Gay a greater role to the detriment of an increasingly undervalued Gasol. The rumor of a transfer for the Spaniard was cooking.

Los Angeles Lakers (2008-2014)

Season 2007-08

Gasol Mate with the Lakers in the 2008 playoffs.

Finally, on February 1, 2008, he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Kwame Brown (number 1 in the 2001 draft), rookie Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie, and also the rights to his brother Marc Gasol and two first rounds of the 2008 and 2010 draft. He made his debut with the Los Angeles Lakers on February 5 at the Izod Center against the New Jersey Nets, where he finished a magnificent performance with 24 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists. After the game, his new teammate Kobe Bryant declared that "Pau Gasol is incredible". 5 losses with Gasol in the starting team, since he missed 10 games due to a sprained ankle. At the end of the regular season, Gasol made history by becoming the first Spaniard to finish the season in charge of a conference. His numbers at the end of the season were 18.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.5 blocks, combining his stay in Memphis and Los Angeles, where statistically he offered very similar numbers.

Their first-round playoff matchup pitted the Lakers against the Denver Nuggets, whom they beat by a resounding 4-0. Gasol was the protagonist of the first game, becoming the game's leading scorer, rebounder, assister and blocker with 36 points, 16 rebounds, 8 assists and 3 blocks, respectively. His averages during the series were 22.3 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 2.8 blocks.

In the Conference Semifinals the opponent was the Utah Jazz. The Lakers took a 2-0 lead in the series, and after two victories for the Jazz at home, the Californians finished off the tie by winning a game in Los Angeles and another in Utah to place the final 4-2 and access the Conference Finals In them, they beat the San Antonio Spurs in five games, making Gasol the first Spaniard to reach the NBA Finals. In the last game of the series against the Spurs, the Spaniard broke his personal record for rebounds in one game after capturing 19.

Gasol finished the playoffs as the second leading scorer (16.9), rebounder (9.3) and assistant (4) for the Lakers. He was also the team's best shooter (1.90 blocks per game) and the player, tied with Lamar Odom, who achieved the most double-doubles in the postseason for the Angels (10).

Season 2008-09

Gasol with the Lakers in 2008.

The 2008-09 season saw the arrival of Marc Gasol in the NBA, which led to the first confrontation between the two brothers in an official game, when approximately a third of it had been played. The clash was played at the FedExForum in Memphis and was also a historic meeting since it meant that for the first time two non-American brothers measured their forces on an NBA court.

On January 2, 2009, he surpassed the 10,000-point mark throughout his career in a game played against the Utah Jazz, thus becoming the second European player who would have needed less time to reach that figure, only surpassed by the German Dirk Nowitzki.

On January 29, the NBA made public the list of players that would complete the participating rosters in the All Star in Phoenix with the news that Pau Gasol would be part of the Western Conference team, thus confirming that the Spaniard would play the event for the second time after his experience in 2006. This recognition was reinforced by being voted player of the week in the Western Conference from February 2 to February 8, after averaging 26 points and 13.9 rebounds. Two weeks later he repeated the award with averages of 20.3 points, 10. 8 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1 block. His best contribution was the triple double that he achieved against the Atlanta Hawks with 12 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists. These performances earned him in February 2009 his first designation as Best Player of the Month in the Western Conference. In that month, Pau averaged 20.9 points, with 58.6% shooting from the field, and 10.9 rebounds.

In the Phoenix All Star Game, Gasol had 14 points and 8 rebounds, helping the West win over the East, 146-119.

In the early hours of Monday, June 15, 2009, Pau Gasol became the first Spaniard to win the NBA ring with the Los Angeles Lakers, after defeating the Orlando Magic in Game 5 of the final series. The final is decided by a 4-1 aggregate. In the fifth and final game, Pau scored 14 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and 4 blocks.

Season 2009-10

On December 24, 2009 Gasol signs a 3-year contract extension with the Lakers for $64.7 million.

Gasol is playing his third All-Star as a reserve in the Western Conference and ends the regular season averaging 18.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.7 blocks in 65 games, after two injuries muscular in the first part of the season. In Game 6 of the first round, Gasol had 18 rebounds and the final second basket to eliminate the Oklahoma City Thunder.In the conference semifinals against the Utah Jazz, he averaged 23.5 points and 14.5 rebounds. In Game 7 of the NBA Finals, Gasol scored 19 points, grabbed 18 rebounds and put in two blocks, proclaiming himself NBA champion for the second time in a row with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Season 2010-11

During that season, Gasol had very good averages in the regular season, scoring 18.8 points, grabbing 10.2 rebounds and distributing 3.3 assists in 82 games. After a masterful start to the season in which it can be considered that he took the reins of the team and even emerged as a firm MVP candidate, Pau lowered his numbers in the middle of the season, relegating the main role of the team to Kobe Bryant. In February 2011, he played his fourth All-Star, in which he signed his best performance with 17 points and 7 rebounds, playing the decisive minutes of the game, which ended with the final victory of his conference. The end of the regular season ended with the Los Angeles Lakers crediting themselves with the 2nd best mark in the Western Conference (57-25) and another year they were preparing to fight for the title. In the first round they faced the New Orleans Hornets, a rival they eliminated after 6 games (4-2). Already in the conference semifinals, they faced the Dallas Mavericks, future NBA champions. In this series, the Lakers were widely outplayed by the Mavericks, being eliminated 4-0. The level of the team was much lower than expected and Pau, being a key piece of it, was harshly criticized both for his performance in the particular duel he had with the Mavericks star, Dirk Nowitzki, and for his general participation in the future of the team.

Season 2011-12

This season Gasol stood out for his leadership at the helm of the team during Kobe Bryant's injury in the first months of the season, although he was the target of criticism from the public due to a drop in his statistics during the playoffs -off, where they were eliminated by the Oklahoma City Thunder.

On May 18, 2012, before Game 3 against Oklahoma in the Western Conference semifinal, he was awarded the J. Walter Kennedy Award for Best Citizen in the NBA, for his collaboration in various social and charitable works.

In July 2012, after the injury and the retirement of the JJ. oo. of Rafael Nadal in London, he is designated by the Spanish Olympic Committee (COE) as Spain's standard bearer in these same games, where his second silver medal will be hung.

Season 2012-13

Gasol in a 2012-13 season match against the Nuggets.

With the signings of point guard Steve Nash and center Dwight Howard, the Lakers were looking forward to the 2012-13 season. However, it began marked by a bad losing streak, failing to win any preseason game and with a negative balance of 1 win for 5 losses in the league, which led to the dismissal of Mike Brown and the signing of Mike D' Antony. On November 18, 2012, Gasol became the tenth player born outside the United States to surpass 15,000 points in the NBA.

Gasol, sharing the inside game with Howard, is forced to play further from the rim. Kobe Bryant's injuries forced him to take a starring role, posting triple doubles (at least 10 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists) in two games in April. After a mediocre regular season, the Lakers only qualify for the playoffs as seventh in the West, and are eliminated in the first round by the San Antonio Spurs in four games.

Season 2013-14

The season began with the departure of Howard and a younger squad with a place for Pau. But both the continuous changes in D'Antoni's starting five and Kobe's absence for the first 19 games, forged a bleak start to the season for the Lakers. Pau led the team in some victories, but it was not enough to avoid forging a bad start to the season, since with Nash's new injury, they only had the contribution of Nick Young and Jodie Meeks.

If we add to this the new relapse of Kobe, the new attempt by the franchise to transfer Pau, as well as the relapse in his vertigo injury, and the bad management of the coach, led to the Los Angeles franchise, to stay out of the PlayOffs for the seventh time in history and the first since 2005 with the departure of Shaq. All this materialized in the Lakers breaking their record of losses in a season. Pau finished the season playing only 60 games, in which he averaged 17.4 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists.

In the last game played at the Staples Center, the video scoreboard honored Pau with a video showing his statistics and best plays, with which the entire pavilion gave him warm applause.

Chicago Bulls (2014-2016)

Season 2014-15

Gasol in 2015 with Chicago Bulls.

On July 13, 2014, becoming a free agent, he agrees to a contract with the Chicago Bulls for 3 seasons and 22 million dollars, the third year is optional for the player.

On November 15, 2014, Pau Gasol became the sixth player in NBA history to reach 16,500 points, 8,500 rebounds, 3,000 assists and 1,500 blocks.

On January 1, 2015, he achieved his personal record for blocks, placing 9 against the Denver Nuggets. Ten days later, he achieved the highest score of his career with 46 points against the Milwaukee Bucks.

In February 2015, Pau Gasol played his 5th All-Star (the first in the Eastern Conference), but it was the first time he did so starting from the starting five, like his brother Marc. Both they played the initial jump of the game, being the first pair of brothers to be starters in the all-star game, and the first Europeans to be chosen by popular vote for the starting lineup.

On March 5, 2015, the player from San Boi became the top Hispanic scorer in NBA history, surpassing the 17,623 points of the player of Panamanian origin Rolando Blackman.

At the end of the 2014-15 regular season, he is included, for the second time in his career, in the 2nd best five of the competition. In addition, Gasol ended up being the player with the most double doubles in the regular season (52), ahead of players like DeMarcus Cousins, Andre Drummond or Anthony Davis and becoming the oldest player to lead this classification.

After finishing the regular season with a balance of 50 wins and 32 losses, the Chicago Bulls beat the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round after six games, to later fall in the conference semifinals against the Cleveland Cavaliers also in six games. In this tie, Gasol suffered a muscular problem that caused him to miss two games and play very limited physically in the last one, which meant a very important loss for his team.

Season 2015-16

The following season began with a change in the Chicago Bulls' bench, Tom Thibodeau being replaced by the prestigious university coach Fred Hoiberg, who introduced a new, faster game system with a predominance of the outside shot, not very conducive to the Gasoline characteristics. In addition, his rotation policy, trying to regulate his efforts, caused a reduction in his minutes on the track and therefore a drop in his statistics. However, little by little he was chaining good individual performances, including two almost consecutive triple-doubles, which allowed his numbers at the end of the regular season to be quite similar to those averaged throughout his career. All this despite an untimely injury to his right knee that caused him to be absent for several games, and to play diminished when he reappeared, during the last weeks of competition.

On October 27, 2015, during the opening game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, he put up 6 blocks and became the top European block shooter in NBA history, surpassing Vlade Divac's 1,631 blocks. In November he was awarded the "2015 NBPA Global Impact Player" award, which recognized him as the player with the greatest global impact in the NBA thanks to the combination of his good sports performances and his social and charitable contributions. On December 5, he became the 116th player in NBA history to reach 1,000 games played in the regular season, in a game played at the United Center in Chicago and ended in defeat against the Charlotte Hornets, and in the which Gasol added a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds, plus 4 assists and 4 blocks. the all-time TOP-50 in scoring and in minutes played, exceeding 10,000 rebounds, or reaching 500 double-doubles.

After failing to repeat the 2016 All-Star title by just 360 votes, he was also not included as a substitute by the coaches. However, the injury to his teammate Jimmy Butler led NBA commissioner Adam Silver to select him to fill that position, thereby disputing his 6th All-Star, which was the first to be located outside the borders of the United States. States, as it was held in the Canadian city of Toronto. He added 9 points and 7 rebounds, starring in some face-to-face actions against Kobe Bryant, with whom he has a great friendship and who was playing his last All-Star.

Collectively, the Chicago Bulls had an irregular start to the season, although always with a positive balance and at the top of the Eastern Conference. However, from the month of January their benefits dropped drastically due to injuries, the lack of a clear game system and poor relations within the locker room, finally reaching a poor balance of 42 wins for 40 losses, insufficient to reach the goals play-offs, in what was a hard and unexpected setback for a franchise considered to be a contender for the ring at the beginning of the course.

San Antonio Spurs (2016-2019)

Season 2016-17

At the end of the previous season, Gasol announces that he is giving up the remaining year on his contract with the Chicago Bulls to go on the market as an unrestricted free agent, seeking a contract with better economic conditions and longer duration. Finally, at the beginning of July his signing by the San Antonio Spurs for the next two seasons in exchange for about 30 million dollars was made official.

He made his official debut with the Texan team on October 25, 2016 with a victory on the field of the Golden State Warriors in which he scored 2 points and grabbed 4 rebounds. After a first part of the season marked by a decrease in his statistical data due to the reduction in his minutes on court and not being one of the first options in attack, an injury to a finger on his left hand during the warm-up before a game in the month of January it forced him to undergo surgery and be out for more than a month. Once he returned to the courts, he did so starting from the bench, a situation that was maintained for the rest of the season, although curiously his performance improved slightly by having a greater role as one of the leaders of the second unit.

During the 2017 All-Star Celebration in New Orleans, he became the first non-American to be elected to the NBA Players Guild Executive Committee.

In the last game of the 2016-17 season, he managed to surpass 20,000 points in his career, something that only 42 players had achieved to date, being the second European to achieve it after Dirk Nowitzki. In addition, he became the all-time leader in the league in shooting from 3-point range in a season, after converting 56 of 104 shots, 53.8%, although he did not reach the necessary shots to be officially counted.

The San Antonio Spurs carried out a great campaign for another year, achieving the second best balance of the entire competition thanks to the 61 victories obtained against only 21 losses. In the first round of the playoffs, they beat the Memphis Grizzlies, with many problems, in 6 games, in what was the first face-to-face between the Gasol brothers in the postseason. In the second round they met the Houston Rockets, which they also beat in 6 games. In the Western conference final, weighed down by the losses of Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker, they could barely offer resistance against the Golden State Warriors who swept them 4-0. Gasol's performance during these playoffs was poor, despite regaining ownership for a few games.

Season 2017-18

After exercising the option to resign from his second year of contract with the Texans and going on the free agent market without any restrictions, he ends up signing again with the San Antonio Spurs a more extensive agreement, of three seasons in exchange for 48 million dollars. His performance, according to his age and his physique, continues to drop progressively, although he is still capable of standing out in some games throughout the regular season.

The Texan franchise, devastated by the absence of Kawhi Leonard throughout the course and with a veteran squad, manages with much suffering to reach the playoffs, where they lose in the first round (4-1) with hardly a fight against the Goldens State Warriors, ultimately NBA champions.

On September 7, 2017, he became the top scorer in Eurobasket history, after scoring a three-pointer in the second quarter of his 2017 Eurobasket game against Hungary, surpassing the previous record of 1,104 points he had up to that time Frenchman Tony Parker.

Season 2018-19

On October 17, 2018, in the season opener for the San Antonio Spurs, Pau Gasol officially began his 18th NBA season. Gasol was reported to have suffered a stress fracture in early November. his left foot, although he was finally left with bone edema that kept him out of competition for approximately two months. He reappeared on December 31 against the Boston Celtics, playing for 5 minutes and grabbing 5 rebounds.

On March 1, 2019, he reached an agreement with the Spurs to terminate his contract. Two days later he reached an agreement to play with the Milwaukee Bucks, where for the first time in his NBA career he will not wear the number 16, since he is retired by the Wisconsin team. In his place he will wear the 17.

Milwaukee Bucks (2019)

Season 2018-19

On March 4, 2019, the Milwaukee Bucks announce the signing of Pau Gasol, as "the 6-time All-Star" and that he will play with the number 17 on his jersey, he barely played 3 games with the Bucks before getting injured. Thus, on May 10, 2019, he decides to undergo surgery due to a broken foot, a fact that would leave him out of the 2019 Playoffs.

Portland Trail Blazers (2019)

Season 2019-20

On July 24, 2019, he signs for one season with the Portland Trail Blazers. But on November 20, he is cut, so he does not play any game with the Blazers. Since then, he has worked at the facilities of the Blazers to recover from a stress fracture in the navicular bone of his left foot, but he would not play any game in the 2019-20 season, this being his first "blank" since he debuted as a professional.

Tour of Spain

FC Barcelona (2021)

Pau Gasol with FC Barcelona in 2021.

Season 2020-21

After more than a year away from the fields, on February 23, 2021 he signed a contract until the end of the season with FC Barcelona of the Endesa League, the team where he was trained, with the intention of getting in shape for his possible participation in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. After several weeks of training with the coaching staff, on March 25, a public presentation of his joining the team was made, announcing that he would debut as soon as he was available. with Barça to the Euroleague final (loss against Anadolu Efes S.K.) and won the ACB League against Real Madrid.

Retreat

Pau Gasol receives the Great Cross of the Sports Merit by the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez.

On October 5, 2021, at a press conference held in the city of Barcelona, he announced his definitive retirement from sports competition, at the age of 41. During the ceremony, Pau thanked coach Aíto García Reneses, the coach Juan Montes, the Cornellá coach Juan José Campos, his parents, his brother Marc, also for Juan Carlos Navarro and the late Kobe Bryant.

At the end of the event, his teammate and coach, Saras Jasikevičius, said:

“I stay with the human part of Pau.” “I met him in 2000 when I arrived. He was a humble and normal boy. Now, we are in 2021 and is a humble and normal boy.”

There were also words from his friend Navarro:

"We started with 16 years as kids who played basketball and had fun." “This is not goodbye, it is a continuation of your person.”

In the United States, NBA star Russell Westbrook was asked and confessed that:

"Some people know this, but Pau was my favorite player when I was little. Before even Kobe, because I liked how I played, I did it the right way."

He who was his coach at the Lakers, Phil Jackson, also said about Pau:

“Pau Gasol, brought hope and talent to the Lakers. The effect was immediate. His game put LA back into Championship contention. He was also gentleman and generous hero. ”

“Pau Gasol, brought hope and talent to the Lakers. The effect was immediate. His game returned to LA to the championship fight. Besides, he was a gentle and generous hero. ”

And NBA Commissioner Adam Silver praised Gasol's career, saying:

“Pau Gasol is undoubtedly one of the most accomplished players of his generation. A two-time NBA champion, six-time NBA All-Star, three-time Olympic medalist and world champion, Paul inspired countless fans through his remarkable skill and passion for the game. But what sets Pau apart is his tireless commitment to giving back to his native Spain and other communities around the world, which he continues to make a priority. We congratulate Pau on an outstanding career and thank him for being such a dedicated ambassador for our league. ”

“Pau Gasol is, without a doubt, one of the most successful players has achieved from his generation. Twice NBA champion, six times NBA All-Star, three times Olympic medalist and world champion, Pau has inspired countless fans thanks to his remarkable skill and passion for the game. But what distinguishes Pau is his tireless commitment to contribute to his native Spain and other communities around the world, which for him remains a priority. We congratulate Pau for his extraordinary career and thank him for being such a dedicated ambassador of our league. ”

That same day, the Los Angeles Lakers announced a future retirement of their number 16 jersey. On August 17, 2022, the date was set for March 7, 2023, a ceremony that took place at the Crypto.com Arena during halftime of a game against the Memphis Grizzlies.

In January 2023, he was chosen as the coach of the Rising Stars event that was held during the 2023 All Star Weekend in Salt Lake City, and where his team took the victory.

In February 2023, the nomination as a finalist for his entry into the Basketball Hall of Fame was made public.

Spanish team

Gasol throwing a free shot during the Eurobasket 2011.

Gasol was part of the Spanish junior team that was proclaimed champion of the EuroBasket junior in 1998 and world junior champion in 1999, defeating the United States team in the final. Later the EuroBasket Sub-20 also obtained bronze 2000 in Macedonia.

He made his debut with the senior team on August 15, 2001 in a friendly match against Greece in which he already scored 20 points. He has eleven medals with the senior team. The 2006 World Basketball Championship in Japan stands out, in which he won gold, he was part of the competition's ideal quintet and was chosen MVP of the World Cup. However, the championship took its toll on him and he suffered a serious injury in the foot, which left him out of the final. As a consequence of being a member of that national team, he contributed to the Prince of Asturias Award for Sports that the Spanish Basketball Team received, an award for which he himself also opted individually.

Marc (left) and Pau (right) during the JJs. OO of London 2012.

He has also won seven medals in the European championships: three gold, in Poland 2009 and where he was chosen MVP (most valuable player) of the championship, in Lithuania 2011 and in France, Germany, Croatia and Latvia 2015, where he was again chosen MVP; two silver, in Sweden 2003, and in Spain 2007; and another two bronze in Turkey 2001 and Istanbul 2017. In addition, he has accumulated another three Olympic medals: two silver, in the Olympic Games of Beijing 2008 and at the London 2012 Olympic Games, in both cases against a team from the United States full of stars, and the bronze at the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games.

Despite how demanding the NBA is, Gasol has played with the national team in all major international competitions, missing only three tournaments: the Eurobasket in Serbia 2005, in which he did not participate to recover from an ailment in the foot (although he was present as a commentator for Televisión Española), the 2010 World Cup in Turkey due to the fatigue accumulated over many years, and the 2013 Eurobasket in Slovenia for the same reason.

On September 7, 2017, he became the top scorer in Eurobasket history, surpassing Frenchman Tony Parker's 1104 points.

As of September 17, 2017, he has accumulated 3,599 points with the national team in his 208 participations, which makes him the highest scorer in history for the national team, after surpassing the 3,330 totaled by "Epi". As far as official competitions are concerned, he is the third highest scorer in history at the Olympic Games (623 points), the seventh in the World Cups (482 points) and the first in the Eurobasket (1,183 points), and in all of them the first Spaniard With these 208 international caps, he is ranked 6th on the list of players with the most matches played with Spain. With seven Eurobaskets played, in which he was a medalist in each of them, he is the player with the most medals in EuroBasket, tied with the Soviet Sergei Belov and the Yugoslavian Krešimir Ćosić.

In the summer of 2021 in Tokyo, he played his fifth Olympic Games, being, together with Navarro and Rudy, the only Spanish basketball players to achieve five participations in the Olympic event. During the tournament he reached 640 points, remaining the third highest scorer in the games. At the end of the competition for the national team, which finished in sixth place, he announced his final retirement from the national team, after 20 years, 11 medals, having played 216 matches (sixth best mark) and being the top scorer for the national team with 3656 points (16.9 points per game, also maximum average).

On August 3, he was elected to the Athletes Commission of the International Olympic Committee. The Spanish athlete was chosen by the participating athletes in Tokyo 2020, to replace one of the four members of the current organization.

Participations

Europeans Edition Participation Selector Outcome Turkey 2001 Yes. Javier Imbroda 03! Bronze Medal Sweden 2003 Yes. Moncho López 02! Silver Medal Serbia 2005 No. Mario Pesquera Fourth Spain 2007 Yes. Pepu Hernández 02! Silver Medal Poland 2009 Yes. Sergio Scariolo 01! Gold Medal Lithuania 2011 Yes. Sergio Scariolo 01! Gold Medal Slovenia 2013 No. Juan Antonio Orenga 03! Bronze Medal Euro 2015 Yes. Sergio Scariolo 01! Gold Medal Euro 2017 Yes. Sergio Scariolo 03! Bronze Medal Events from your first call with the selection.

World Edition Participation Selector Outcome USA 2002 Yes. Javier Imbroda Fifth Japan 2006 Yes. Pepu Hernández 01! Gold Medal Turkey 2010 No. Sergio Scariolo Sixth Spain 2014 Yes. Juan Antonio Orenga Fifth China No. Sergio Scariolo 01! Gold Medal JJ. OO. Edition Participation Selector Outcome Athens Yes. Mario Pesquera Seventh Beijing 2008 Yes. Aíto García Renes 02! Silver Medal London 2012 Yes. Sergio Scariolo 02! Silver Medal Rio 2016 Yes. Sergio Scariolo 03! Bronze Medal Tokyo 2020 Yes. Sergio Scariolo Sixth

Personal life

He was born in the Hospital de la Santa Cruz and San Pablo, in Barcelona, into a family related to medicine, although after a few years he moved to Sant Baudilio de Llobregat. His father, Agustí Gasol, is a nurse and his mother, Marisa Sáez, an internist. Pau studied Medicine for a few months but ended up leaving it because he could not combine it with basketball, although he maintains that his goal in life is to follow in the footsteps of his mother and become a doctor in the future. His middle brother, Marc Gasol (1985), is also a professional basketball player. He has another brother, Adrià (1993), who took his first steps in basketball at a high school in Memphis. During the 2012-2013 academic year, Adrià began studying engineering at the University of California and sought to gain a foothold in its prestigious basketball team, the Bruins, but in the end he did not get the scholarship that would allow him to continue in the team, returning to Spain, where he competes in the Catalan First Division.

After a relationship of almost two years, in October 2018 Pau announced on social media his engagement to Catherine McDonnell (1989). On July 6, 2019, they were married in an intimate ceremony in San Francisco. On September 13, 2020, their first daughter, Elisabet Gianna, was born, whose name pays homage to the daughter of her former teammate Kobe Bryant, who died in January of that same year. In August 2022, they announced the pregnancy of their second child, Max, which would be born in November 2022.

Work and social commitment

Pau Gasol in July 2018.

In 2003 he was appointed UNICEF ambassador, and since then he has not stopped collaborating in different campaigns, traveling to Africa on several occasions to participate in the projects of which he is a part. In recognition of his solidarity commitments, he has received the Corazón de Oro in 2004, awarded by the Spanish Heart Foundation, and the Solidarity Athlete Award 2010, granted by the SOS Foundation. Gasol has participated in actions in favor of child survival and children's rights in other African countries, as well as in campaigns against malnutrition in the Horn of Africa. In addition, since his arrival in Memphis, he has collaborated with the Saint Jude Children's Research Hospital , where he goes whenever he travels to the city that welcomed him at the beginning of his NBA career.

In 2010, UNICEF's "The Pau project" was launched in Ethiopia, with which the Catalan player fights against child malnutrition, which every year ends the lives of more than two million children, and for the right to education. Also, in December 2010, he participated, along with other NBA stars, in the campaign against the AIDS virus We are bigger than AIDS .

In 2012, the Professional Basketball Writers Association (PBWA) considered that Pau “embodies all that is great about NBA players and their charities, not just in their own communities, but all over the world, working to help children reach their goals and have the opportunities they might not otherwise get”. Thus, in April 2015 he was awarded the Magic Johnson Award.

In 2017, the Spanish Ministry of Employment and Social Security awarded him the Gold Medal for Merit at Work.

In September 2018, after the publication of his book "Bajo el aro", Gasol affirms that, despite not being a doctor, he tries to use his public profile to help others. That same month, he is the protagonist of the Fundación Atresmedia campaign to bring the family closer to the school.

In July 2019, UNICEF global named him "World Champion for Nutrition and the end of Childhood Obesity".

At the end of March 2020, during the confinement due to the Coronavirus pandemic, Pau started a solidarity initiative together with Rafa Nadal, supporting the Spanish Red Cross, and they created the #CruzRojaResponde campaign that aims to raise funds to fight the disease of the coronavirus.

Gasol Foundation

In 2013, he founded, together with his brother Marc, the Gasol Foundation, created to collaborate in the community promotion of health and the encouragement of healthy lifestyle habits, especially to prevent and combat childhood obesity.. In November 2015, after being awarded the "Global Impact Player", an award given by the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA), the union that represents NBA players created a jersey to collaborate with the foundation. In March 2017 they decided to move the headquarters of the foundation from Barcelona to San Baudilio de Llobregat, their hometown.

In May 2018, they created the educational web series "The Healthy Galaxy", with which they try to promote healthy habits in the family environment.

In September 2019, the Gasol Foundation presented the 'Estudio Pasos', a pioneer in studying the levels of obesity in the age group between 8 and 16 years, which also shed light on the levels sedentary lifestyle of children and adolescents. At the press conference, Pau asked governments, families and the food industry for concrete actions to put an end to this problem.

In October 2019, they were awarded the 'NAOS Strategy Special Recognition Award' for the work they do through the Gasol Foundation.

Defense of equality in sport

In May 2018, he published an open letter in The Players' Tribune in defense of women coaches, and specifically Becky Hammon's candidacy for NBA coaching. Pointing out that in 72 years of history there has never been any female coach and defending the adaptation to the new social evolution and the new times of equality and diversity.

Membership of sports associations and clubs

From 2017 to 2020 he was vice president of the NBPA (NBA Players Association). He was the first player to participate in the Executive Committee of said association without having previously gone through the NCAA.

Since June 2019, Pau Gasol is a member of the Spanish Sports Advisory Council (CADE), which is part of the Spanish Sports Association (ADESP). He is also a Strategic Advisor and Global Ambassador for Barça in the United States, a position from which he disseminates the values of sport and the proposal for healthy habits of his Foundation.

On January 25, 2023, it was announced that he would be a Telefónica ambassador until 2025, in order to promote the importance of healthy lifestyle habits and sports in today's society, especially among the youngest.

Posts

Pau Gasol at the signing of his book in 2018.

On September 5, 2018, he published his sports memoirs in the book entitled Bajo el aro, where he reviews his career and reflects on success and failure during his sports career.

Filmography

• Documentary Globomedia (25/08/2014), "The generation of gold, a history of friendship and basketball" on YouTube.
• Documentary Mediaset Spain (30/08/2014), «Generation '99: Pau and Navarro».
• Documentary TVE (05/11/2014), «Pau Gasol, a life tailored to it» in rtve.es.
• Documentary Movistar+ (27/12/2018), «Informe Robinson - Gold, a generation story» on YouTube.
• Documentary Prime Video (13/07/2021), «The Family».
• Documentary Prime Video (12/11/2021), «Pau Gasol: 'What is important is the journey».

Appearances in television series

Statistics of his career in the ACB and Euroleague

ACB League Statistics

Euroleague Statistics

Statistics of his NBA career

Regular season

• ♪ Lock-out season.

Playoffs

NBA All-Star Game Statistics

Voting for the NBA All-Star Game

Balance wins - losses

Regular season

673 wins - 553 losses. A percentage of matches won of 54.9% (673 of 1226).

He is ranked 50th on the list of players with the most games won and 45th on the list of players with the most games lost.

** Active players in the NBA.

Updated until April 10, 2019. Finished the regular season NBA 2018-19.

Playoffs

70 wins - 66 losses. A percentage of matches won of 51.5% (70 of 136).

He is ranked 86th on the list of players with the most games won and 38th on the list of players with the most games lost.

** Active players in the NBA.

Updated until June 13, 2019. Finished the NBA 2018-19 season.

NBA Total Historical Stats

This section will indicate the total statistics accumulated throughout his NBA career by Pau Gasol, both in the regular season and in the playoffs, as well as his position in the historical classification of each of them.

Total Historical Statistics of NBA European Players

In this section you can consult the total statistics accumulated by the best European players in the main facets of the game throughout their careers, already completed or still active, in the NBA, both during the regular season and in the playoffs, highlighting in them the presence of Pau Gasol as one of the great European players in the history of the competition. For clarification, only those players with the nationality of a European country from the moment of their birth are included, not those who are of different origin and who have subsequently acquired said status.

Regular season

** Active players in the NBA.

Updated until April 10, 2019. Finished the regular season NBA 2018-19.

Playoffs

** Active players in the NBA.

Updated until June 13, 2019. Finished the NBA 2018-19 season.

Triple-double

This is the list of triple-doubles (double figures in three of these five categories: points, rebounds, assists, blocks or steals), made during his NBA career:

Achievements and recognitions

Pau and the rest of Spanish internationals, posing with the 2006 World Champions trophy at Saitama Arena.

National team

Absolute

• Silver Medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
• Silver Medal in the 2012 London Olympic Games.
• Bronze Medal in the Olympic Games of Rio de Janeiro 2016
• Gold Medal in the World Cup of Japan 2006.
• Gold Medal in the Eurobasket of Poland 2009.
• Gold Medal in the Eurobasket of Lithuania 2011.
• Gold Medal in the Eurobasket of France, Germany, Croatia and Latvia 2015.
• Silver Medal in the Eurobasket of Sweden 2003.
• Silver Medal in the Eurobasket of Spain 2007.
• Bronze Medal in the Eurobasket of Turkey 2001.
• Bronze Medal in the Eurobasket of Romania, Israel, Finland and Turkey 2017.

Junior

• Gold Medal Albert Schweitzer Tournament, Mannheim, Germany, 1998.
• Gold Medal in the EuroBasket Sub-18 of Varna 1998.
• Gold Medal in the Sub-19 World of Lisbon 1999.
• Bronze Medal on the EuroBasket Sub-20 of Ohrid 2000.

Clubs

Los Angeles Lakers

• 2 times NBA Champion: 2009 and 2010.
• 3 times Champion of the NBA Western Conference: 2008, 2009 and 2010.
• 5 times NBA Pacific Division Champion: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012.

FC Barcelona

• 3 times Champion of the ACB League: 1999, 2001 and 2021
• 1 time Champion of the King's Cup: 2000/01.
• 1 time Spanish Champion Junior: 1997/98.

Individual achievements and awards

ACB

• MVP Final League ACB: 2000-01.
• MVP King Cup: 2000-01.

Euroliga

• Second Quinteto Ideal of the Euroliga: 2000-01.

International

• MVP World Cup: 2006.
• MVP Eurobasket: 2009 and 2015
• World Cup Fifth Ideal: 2006 and 2014.
• Eurobasket’s Fifth Ideal: 2001, 2003, 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2015
• Maximum Eurobasket 2001 rebounder (9.8 reb per game).
• Maximum stopper in the history of the Olympic Games.
• Maximum Eurobasket 2003 scorer with 155 points (25.83 per game).
• Maximum Eurobasket scorer and upholsterer 2009.
• Maximum Eurobasket scorer and upholsterer 2015
• Maximum scorer and upholsterer of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games (22.42 points and 1.85 plugs)
• Maximum scorer of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games (19.6 points)
• Maximum scorer, rebounder, upholsterer and efficiency leader and doubles of the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games (156 points, 71 rebounds, 15 plugs, 185 efficiency and 3 double-double)
• With seven medals in 7 participations, he has the record of medals in Eurobasket, tied with the Soviet Serguéi Belov and with the Yugoslav Kresimir Cosic.
• With 5 participations in the Olympic Games, it has the record shared with several players.

NBA

• Elected number 3 in the NBA Draft 2001 by Atlanta Hawks.
• Elected Rookie of the NBA Year of the NBA 2001-02 season.
• Chosen NBA Best Rookies Quintet: 2002.
• Chosen to play All-Star 2002 in Philadelphia with rookies.
• Chosen to play All-Star 2003 in Atlanta with sophomores.
• Picked for the first time to play All-Star 2006 in Houston with the West Conference, being the maximum rebounder of the game by capturing 12 rebounds in just 14 minutes.
• Elected for the second time to play the All-Star 2009 in Phoenix with the Western Conference, where it added 14 points and 8 rebounds.
• Chosen for the third time to play All-Star 2010 in Dallas with the Western Conference, achieving 13 points and 6 rebounds.
• Chosen for the fourth time to play All-Star 2011 in Los Angeles with the West Conference, adding 17 points and 7 rebounds.
• Elected for the fifth time to play the All-Star 2015 in New York with the Eastern Conference, for the first time as headline and starring the initial jump with his brother Marc Gasol, first brothers to be headlines in this event. He reached a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds.
• Elected for the sixth time to play the All-Star 2016 in Toronto with the East Conference supposing the descent of his partner Jimmy Butler. He made 9 points and 7 rebounds.
• He scored 44 points, his personal record so far, in the Grizzlies match to Seattle on March 28, 2006.
• He scored 46 points, the maximum of his career to date, in the Bulls vs Milwaukee match on January 10, 2015. In that game he also managed to catch 18 rebounds, thus ending a star performance.
• First triple-doble (a minimum of 10 in three different sections of the game) in the NBA against Seattle with 21 points, 12 rebounds, 12 assists, 4 thefts and 3 plugs.
• First elected MVP of the week of the NBA West Conference in the 2004-05 season (23.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists).
• Elected for the second time MVP of the week of the NBA West Conference in the 2005-06 season (26.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 2.33 plugs).
• Elected for the third time MVP of the week of the NBA West Conference in the 2005-06 season (26.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.75 plugs).
• Chosen for the fourth time MVP of the week of the NBA West Conference in the 2008-09 season (26 points, 13.9 rebounds).
• Elected for the fifth time MVP of the week of the NBA West Conference in the season 2008-09 (20,3 points, 10,8 rebounds, 6,5 assists and 1.0 plugs)
• Elected for the sixth time MVP of the week of the NBA West Conference in the season 2009-10 (24.8 points, 11.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.0 plug.)
• Elected for the seventh time MVP of the week of the NBA West Conference in the 2010-11 season (25.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, 5,0 assists and 2.0 plugs)
• First elected MVP of the month (February) of the NBA West Conference in the 2008-09 season (20.9 points, 10.9 rebounds, 4.8 assists).
• Integrator of the Second Best Quarter of the NBA of the 2010-11 and 2014-15 season.
• 3rd Best Squad of the NBA of the seasons 2008-09 and 2009-10.

Recognition

Barrel signed by Pau.

• Chosen "Catalan of the Year 2001" by the newspaper The Newspaper.
• Chosen "Best Spanish Sportsman of the Year 2001" by the newspaper Sports World.
• Chosen "Best Player of the Year 2008" by the newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport.
• Chosen "Mr. Europa" (2): 2004 and 2009.
• In 2010 he was chosen as the fifteenth most intelligent athlete by Sporting News.
• NBA Community Assist Award (2012).
• Awarded with the "Euroscar Award" (known as the Oscar for the best European basketball player) (4): 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2015.
• Chosen "Best European player FIBA" (2): 2008 and 2009.
• Chosen "Best Citizen" of the NBA in the 2011-12 season for its participation in various charitable works
• Chosen best ala-pivot of the history of the Grizzlies by the ESPN, thus included in the ideal quintet of the same.
• Awarded the "Magic Johnson Award" of the NBA in the 2014-15 season, awarded by the PBWAfor joining the sports quality with a correct deal with the media.
• Awarded with the "NBPA Global Impact Player 2015" that recognizes him as the most globally impacted NBA player.
• Awarded together with his brother Marc Gasol with the Special Prize for the recognition of the NAOS Strategy for their work through the Gasol Foundation to combat child obesity.
• On the day of their sport retreat, Los Angeles Lakers announced the withdrawal of their dorsal #16.
• Giant Legend (2022).
• Medal to the Sports Merit of the city of Zaragoza (2022).
• His dorsal #16 was withdrawn by Los Angeles Lakers (2023).

Decorations

Distinction	Year
Gold Medal - Royal Sports Merit Order	2007
Gold Medal to Merit at Work	2017
Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Sports Merit	2021
Creu de Sant Jordi	2021
Giving	Year
National Sports Award «Best Spanish Sportsman of the Year»	2001
Princess of Asturias Sports Award	2015

Predecessor: New York Marathon United States	29th Princess of Asturias Sports Award shared with Marc Gasol 2015	Successor: Javier Gómez Noya SpainSpain
Predecessor: David Cal Beijing 2008	Spanish fans in the summer JJOO London 2012	Successor: Rafael Nadal Rio de Janeiro 2016