Pau Gasol

Pau Gasol Sáez ( born July 6, 1980 in Sant Boi de Llobregat, Spain ) is a Spanish professional basketball player. He is currently with the Los Angeles Lakers in the U.S. professional league NBA under contract, for which he plays since 2008. Gasol is considered the best Spanish and one of the best European basketball player of all time. He is an excellent power forward and is considered extremely offensive strong.

  • 3.1 club
  • 3.2 national team
  • 3.3 Personal honors

Career

Early years and time in Spain

His basketball career began Pau Gasol in his school team, the Col.legi Llor in his home town of Sant Boi. His first club was a CB Cornella, in the junior team he was playing as a point guard. For the 1997/98 season Pau Gasol joined the junior from FC Barcelona, ​​where he eventually on 17 January 1999, his league debut in the first team. Already in the following season he was an integral part of the professional squad and be sporting breakthrough followed in 2000/ 01. Gasol, who had to replace the injured star player Rony Seikaly, established himself in spite of his young age and inexperience than the most dominant power forward the league and led his team to double league and Copa del Rey. He was elected to the championship MVP in both the Cup and in the play-offs. His outstanding performances have not gone unnoticed, and so Pau Gasol was selected in the third position of the Atlanta Hawks and shortly thereafter traded in exchange for Shareef Abdur - Rahim to the Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA Draft 2001. The Spaniard was at that time the earliest pick in the history for a player who has been trained outside the United States.

Memphis Grizzlies

Already in his first season with the Memphis Grizzlies Gasol took over the role of lead player in his team, played all 82 season games and finished with 17.9 points and 8.9 rebounds per game as the first non- American in the history of the Rookie of the Year named. In addition, as one of the best debuts at NBA Rookie Challenge, and was participated in the All- Rookie First Team 2001/ 02 selected. Gasol, who quickly established himself as a franchise player the Grizzlies, led his team in the season 2003/ 04 for the first time in the history of the young team to the play- offs, where, however, the San Antonio Spurs in the first round with 0:4 subject. With the same result, the team from Memphis should retire in the next two seasons in the playoffs, Gasol himself stabbed in particular 2005/ 06 show, where he was allowed to participate in the NBA All- Star Game for the first time, and the regular season with 20.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.9 blocks per game ended. The following year, Gasol missed the start of the season due to a foot injury that he had sustained in the 2006 World Cup, but was able to increase his individual statistics in the remaining 59 games of the season again. However, his team finished the season with only 22 wins and did not reach a play-off place. On 1 February 2008 Gasol was traded for Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie and the Los Angeles Lakers. In this exchange, the Grizzlies also received the transfer rights over Pau Gasol brother Marc and the NBA 1st Round Draft Picks of the years 2008 and 2010 by the Lakers. Gasol made ​​during his six and a half years with the Grizzlies on numerous all-time records. He was at his disposal, the player with the most disputed games and minutes, leading to today the statistics of the recovered baskets, points, rebounds ( offensive and defensive) and to block.

Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers, the less convinced by then, reached after Gasols commitment in the 2007/ 08 NBA season in first place in the Western Conference and fought their way into the play-offs to the finals, but in which one with 2:4 at the Boston Celtics failed. Also thanks to the Spanish forward, the Lakers were subsequently become one of the best teams in the league. In the 2008 /09 NBA season Gasol played another strong season. From 82 games, he was 81 times on the field and was re-elected to the All-Star team in the Western Conference. This season, the Lakers won again took first place in the West and second place overall in the NBA. At the end of the season he was elected to the All- NBA Third Team. The Lakers reached the play- offs the finals, but which you clearly won 4-1, this time against the Orlando Magic. A year later, in the NBA 2009/10 season, Gasol was selected for the second year in a row to the All Star team in the Western Conference. Was chosen as it is exactly back to the All- NBA Third Team. In the playoffs, in 2010 he qualified with the Lakers for the third time in a row in the NBA Finals. In the final, made ​​his team as two years ago, the Boston Celtics. This time, Pau Gasol and the Lakers were able to narrowly prevail 4-3. On November 18, 2012 There succeeded Gasol than 124 NBA players in total to break the tenth of foreign players and the third largest European players the 15,000 point mark. When the Lakers game against the Brooklyn Nets on November 27, 2013, he threw 21 points and overtook Detlef Schrempf ( 15,761 points) in the list of the best basketball player in the NBA. When 115:137 defeat the Los Angeles Lakers against Denver Nuggets Gasol scored 25 points and passed as the second Europeans and 98 players in the NBA history the 16,000 point mark. With currently 16,493 points achieved, he is the second best pitcher (after Dirk Nowitzki ) from Europe. (As of March 13, 2014 )

National

Pau Gasol played already successful as a junior for his country. As part of the Spanish Golden Generation, he celebrated tournament victories at the Albert Schweitzer Tournament and the U-18 European Championship in 1998 and the U- 19 World Cup 1999. U -20 Championship 2000, he finished with his team to third place. On 15 August 2001, he made ​​his debut in a friendly against Greece in the Spanish national team. In the same year he won bronze at the European Championships in Turkey, finished the tournament as top scorer and best rebounder of his team and was also elected to the All- Tournament team. After a silver medal at the European Championships in 2003 followed his biggest success in the Basketball World Championship 2006 in Japan. Gasol won with his team the gold medal for the first time and was, though he could not participate in the final against Greece due to partial fracture of the metatarsal, named the MVP of the tournament. Another great success celebrated Pau Gasol at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, where his Spanish only in the finale of the USA, with NBA stars like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, Dwight Howard and Jason Kidd in their ranks failed after a hard fight with 107:118. After a disappointing European Championships held in 2007, in the few seconds before the end Gasol missed a crucial throw in the final against Russia, followed both at the European Championships in 2009, where he was also honored as the MVP, and 2011 two more gold medals with Spain. At the opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London Gasol will act as flag carrier of the Spanish delegation. Originally Rafael Nadal should be given to this honor, but it said its participation from injury.

Play

Pau Gasol has an extraordinary speed and agility for a player his size, which makes it especially on the offensive a feared opponent. Close to the basket he has a large repertoire of post moves and has very good footwork. In addition, he is regarded as a forward with an outstanding game overview and pass ability. In particular, from the middle distance, but also beyond the three point line, Pau Gasol has a safe throw, making it particularly difficult for his opponent to defend him. Although he counts regularly to the best shot blockers Reboundern and his team, it is often said by critics that he is " soft " was in his defensive work and trouble have to defend themselves against physically strong opponent 's position under the basket.

Achievements

Association

FC Barcelona

  • Spanish Champion: 2001
  • Spanish Cup winner: 2001

Los Angeles Lakers

  • NBA champion: 2009, 2010

National

  • Albert Schweitzer Tournament 1998: Gold
  • U-18 European Championships 1998: Gold
  • U-19 World Cup 1999: Gold
  • U-20 European Championships 2000: Bronze
  • World Champion: 2006
  • Olympic Games: Silver 2008 Silver 2012
  • European Champions: 2011, 2009 ( Silver: 2003, 2007, bronze: 2001 )

Personal honors

  • MVP of the finals series of the Spanish Cup: 2001
  • MVP of the Spanish Cup: 2001
  • European Basketball Championship All- Tournament Team: 2001, 2003, 2007, 2009, 2011
  • NBA Rookie of the Year award: 2001 /02
  • NBA All- Rookie First Team: 2001 /02
  • NBA Rookie Challenge: 2002 ( Rookie ) 2003 ( Sophomore )
  • Europe basketball player of the year (Super Basket): 2004, 2009
  • NBA All-Star: 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011
  • MVP of the Basketball World Championship 2006
  • FIBA Europe Player Of The Year Award: 2008, 2009
  • Euro Player award the Gazzetta dello Sport: 2008, 2009, 2010
  • MVP of the Eurobasket 2009
  • All- NBA Third Team: 2009, 2010
  • All- NBA Second Team: 2011
  • J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award: 2012

Others

2009 Pau Gasol was on the 8th season of the TV series CSI: seen in a guest role: Miami in the episode Deadly hangouts ( Point of Impact orig. ).

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