MADRID — Pau Gasol introduced his retirement from basketball Tuesday, ending a profession that lasted greater than twenty years and earned him two NBA titles and a world championship gold with Spain’s nationwide crew.
The 41-year-old had already introduced his farewell from worldwide basketball in August after Spain misplaced to the USA within the quarterfinals of the Tokyo Video games, which marked his fifth Olympics.
Gasol had been with Spanish membership Barcelona since February. His profession had stalled earlier than that as a result of a stress fracture in his left foot that lingered and saved him from taking part in for almost two years.
“I will retire from skilled basketball,” Gasol stated. “It is a troublesome choice after so a few years, however it’s a choice that I actually thought over.”
A hero in Los Angeles. A hoops legend all over the world.
Congrats in your retirement, Pau. pic.twitter.com/ODzWHXgq94
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) October 5, 2021
The retirement announcement was made in an occasion at an opera home in Barcelona attended by former teammates and members of the family, together with Pau Gasol’s spouse, his younger daughter and his brother Marc.
Gasol gained two NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers, in 2009 and 2010, taking part in a significant function within the back-to-back championships.
“Pau Gasol introduced hope and expertise to the Lakers,” former coach Phil Jackson stated in an announcement to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne. “The impact was speedy. His recreation put LA again into championship rivalry. He was additionally a gentleman and beneficiant hero.”
Gasol averaged 17.0 factors and 9.2 rebounds in 1,226 regular-season video games with 5 NBA groups, together with the Memphis Grizzlies, Chicago Bulls, San Antonio Spurs and Milwaukee Bucks. He was the No. 3 choose within the 2001 NBA draft, being chosen by Atlanta and traded to Memphis.
Gasol final performed within the NBA with the Bucks in 2019. He signed with the Portland Path Blazers that 12 months however by no means bought to play.
Gasol gained a world championship title with Spain in 2006, along with European titles in 2009, 2011 and 2015.
He helped Spain win Olympic silver medals in 2008 in Beijing and 2012 in London, in addition to a bronze in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro.
Gasol just lately gained an election to characterize athletes for the subsequent seven years with the Worldwide Olympic Committee. He joined an IOC membership checklist drawn variously from European and Center East royal households, worldwide sports activities our bodies, enterprise leaders and 12 athletes elected by their friends.
Info from the Related Press was used on this report