Pau Gasol Biography, Life, Interesting Facts

Childhood and Early Life

Professional basketball player Pau Gasol was born on the 6 July 1980 in Barcelona to Agusti and Marisa Saez. He is the eldest of three boys, and his younger brothers are Adria and Marc. His father Agusti is a hospital administrator, and his mother is a medical doctor. Gasol came from a sporting family, and his father played second-division basketball. As a boy, Pau Gasol was inspired by the Dream Team and remembers watching them win Olympic gold at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

Education

Pau Gasol attended medical school in Barcelona but left to pursue a career as a professional basketball player before graduating.

Rise To Stardom

Pau Gasol started playing professionally with FC Barcelona in 1998.

During the first round of the 2001 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks, Gasol was drafted third overall. During his first season, Gasol was named NBA Rookie of the Year, the first European to have achieved the honor. He had a good year and won in areas such as field goal percentage, scoring, and rebounds.

He was selected to play in the NBA All-Star Game in 2006 for the Western Conference as a reserve center. His selection was historic as he was the first Grizzlies to be included in the All-Star Game and the first Spanish player to do so.

Pau Gasol played for the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies for seven seasons and was then traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. Gasol played for the LA Lakers from 2008 until 2014. He then joined the Chicago Bulls for two years (2014-2016) and then went to the San Antonio Spurs whom he signed with in July 2016.

Awards And Achievements

Pau Gasol has won many awards. He was the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2002. He was selected to play with the All-NBA Second Team in 2011 and 2015. Into the All-NBA Third Team in 2009 and 2010. He has played six times with the NBA All-Star Team (2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2015 and 2016).

Over the years he won ten European Player of the Year Awards including Mr. Europa 2004 and 2009. Europe Player of The Year 2008 and 2009 and All-Europeans Player of the Year 2009 and 2010. He carried the flag for Spain at the London Olympic Games in 2012.

Pau Gasol won two NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers. In April 2017, Gasol scored the 20,000th point of NBA career.

Personal Life And Legacy

Silvia López Castro is Pau Gasol’s long-term girlfriend. His parents and both brothers moved to the United States. Brother Marc also plays professional basketball.

Hobbies

Apart from sport, Pau Gasol enjoys reading, music, concerts, and opera.

Philanthropy

Pau Gasol has been involved with various issues relating to children with HIV and AIDS. He has also worked with UNICEF, Memphis City Schools Fight-Free Fifty. Memphis City Schools Reads. The Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Greater Than AIDS. NBA Cares, WildAid and the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory.