[23], On February 1, 2008, Memphis traded Gasol to the Los Angeles Lakers along with a 2010 second round draft pick for Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie, the rights to Marc Gasol (Pau's younger brother), and 2008 and 2010 first round draft picks. [31] Gasol helped the Lakers finish the regular season with the best record in the Western Conference (57–25), with him in the starting lineup the Lakers went 22–5. [65][68] D'Antoni stated that Gasol had played well since January, and attributed the forward's earlier struggles to injuries and the team's evolving offensive system. [92], On July 24, 2017, Gasol re-signed with the Spurs. [115] Gasol was also the highest-scoring player of the 2004 Summer Olympics,[116] and Spain's flag bearer at the opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics, replacing the injured Rafael Nadal. Internationally, Gasol has won a FIBA World Cup title, three EuroBasket titles, two Olympic silver medals, and an Olympic bronze medal with the Spanish national basketball team. But very quickly he knew what he needed to do. [14] He averaged 17.6 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, and was also the only team member to play in all 82 games that season. Kobe Bryant’s Mamba Mentality can be described as a persevering mindset, and it took many forms — just ask Pau Gasol. He is a refined scorer in the post and midrange; his overall game is near-ambidextrous and makes it difficult for opposing teams to defend. [119] The 35-year-old player was also named the competition's leader for blocked shots per game (2.3). He is the older brother of fellow NBA player Marc Gasol. Wallace said, "No one put pressure on me to do this, and Michael Heisley has actually been reluctant to move Pau." [18] He scored 31 points and blocked four shots on January 11, 2005, against the Indiana Pacers to earn 5,000 points and 500 blocks in his career, becoming the 10th fastest player to reach 5,000 points/500 blocks since 1973–74. Gasol said he cried for days, numb and heartbroken and shocked all at once. [70] He became a free agent after the season. [118] In the 2015 EuroBasket, Gasol was named the MVP of the competition, after some amazing performances, averaging 25.6 points and 8.8 rebounds per game (he was the competition leader for points per game, and 4th in rebounds per game). [60] In the next game, he returned to the starting lineup and scored 25 points against Toronto, only his second 20-point game of the season. Pau Gasol is among the very best players who ever played for the Grizzlies franchise and had been selected as a member of the All-Time Memphis Grizzlies NBA team by 2K. [7], Gasol began playing basketball as a center with his school team, Llor, and eventually signed with Cornellà. [98] On March 25, 2018, he had 22 points on 10-of-15 shooting and grabbed 13 rebounds in a 106–103 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. [50][51] The team had difficulties getting Gasol involved in D'Antoni's offense, which historically had not had post players playing forward. [138], In July 2019 he was named Global Champion for Nutrition and Zero Childhood Obesity by UNICEF Global. "[73], On January 1, 2015, Gasol recorded a career-high 9 blocks, along with 17 points and 9 rebounds, in the 106–101 win over the Denver Nuggets. Draft: Atlanta Hawks, 1st round (3rd pick, 3rd overall), 2001 NBA Draft [21] He was the first Spanish basketball player as well as the first Grizzlies player to ever make it to the All-Star Game. 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