Pau Gasol, 41, has recently announced his retirement on Tuesday in a news conference broadcast on his Twitter page. He played 18 years in the NBA, he was first drafted by Memphis but was later traded to the Lakers for a pack of players including his younger brother Marc Gasol, who himself became a solid centre in the league.
Querido baloncesto, gracias por todo.
Dear basketball, thank you for everything.
Estimat bàsquet, gràcies per tot.
❤️🏀 pic.twitter.com/I6TemPrA5T
— Pau Gasol (@paugasol) October 5, 2021
Gasol won 2 championships, both with the Lakers as the second-best player on the team to Kobe Bryant. For the defending champions, he averaged 17.7 points, 9.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.4 blocks per game. This is why the Lakers are going to retire his jersey No. 16, a feat only big men like Shaq, Wilt, Kareem have achieved.
A hero in Los Angeles. A hoops legend around the world.
Congrats on your retirement, Pau. pic.twitter.com/ODzWHXgq94
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) October 5, 2021
He was the first non-American to win Rookie of the year, he was a six-time all-star and 4 times All-NBA player. In addition to the Lakers he also played with teams like Chicago, San Antonio Spurs, and Milwaukee. During the announcement, Gasol struggled to speak and overcame with emotions “It’s a difficult decision after so many years but it’s a decision the I thought over,” said Pau at the Tokyo, reported Los Angeles Times.
After his injury on his left foot in 2019, his career was derailed in NBA, which led to the decision to play for his country. He recently made an appearance in Tokyo Olympics for the Spanish National Team, even though his age has caught up to him but the IQ of the game, shooting, and toughness is something that only comes with age which as a veteran he understood his role perfectly. “I worked my butt off to do it and It felt like it was worth the effort, it was worth the risk. And I just felt like I deserved to finish at this stage.”
Spanish football giants FC Barcelona and Real Madrid bids farewell to the legend.
🥺 @paugasol is retiring. An applause for one of the all-time greats. @FCBbasket pic.twitter.com/7mSxxlXPfl
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) October 5, 2021
Today one of the biggest legends in the history of basketball and Spanish sport bids farewell. We express our admiration and affection, and our recognition of his enormous contribution to enhancing the values of sport. Good luck in the next phase of your life, @paugasol.
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) October 5, 2021
