Pau Gasol, officially known as Pau Gasol Saez is a Spanish former professional basketball player born on July 6, 1980.
He developed a love for basketball at a younger age a nd was consistent throughout his career rising through the ranks to become one of the most sought-after basketball players.
Gasol kicked off his career playing basketball as a center with his school team, Llor, and eventually signed with Cornellà. At the age of sixteen, he started playing for FC Barcelona’s junior team.
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He played for Spain’s national under-18 team and won both the 1998 Albert Schweitzer Tournament and the 1998 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship.
Gasol made his debut with the FC Barcelona senior team on January 17, 1999. He played just 25 total minutes in the Spanish ACB League’s 1998–99 season and averaged 13.7 minutes per game.
After entering the NBA draft, he was selected third overall in the first round of the 2001 NBA draft by the Atlanta Hawks, who traded his draft rights to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Shareef Abdur-Rahim.
He has since then played several basketball teams including; Memphis Grizzlies (2001–2008), Los Angeles Lakers (2008–2014), Chicago Bulls (2014–2016), San Antonio Spurs (2016–2019), and Milwaukee Bucks (2019).
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In July 2019, he signed with the Portland Trail Blazers and was later waived by the Trail Blazers without having played in a game for the team.
In 2021, Gasol returned to Spain to play in Liga ACB club FC Barcelona where he won the 2020–21 ACB championship and helped the team reach the final of the 2020–21 EuroLeague but lost to Anadolu Efes.
On October 5, 2021, Pau Gasol announced his retirement from professional basketball.
He was a six-time NBA All-Star and a four-time All-NBA team selection, twice on the second team and twice on the third team.
Gasol was the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2002 with the Memphis Grizzlies, being the first non-American player to have won that award.
He won two NBA championships, both with the Los Angeles Lakers back-to-back in 2009 and 2010.
Internationally, he won a FIBA World Cup title, three EuroBasket titles, two Olympic silver medals, and an Olympic bronze medal with the Spanish national basketball team
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Gasol was named MVP of the 2006 FIBA World Cup, and MVP of the 2009 and 2015 FIBA EuroBasket.
Gasol is regarded as one of the greatest power forwards of all time and is also considered one of the greatest European players of all time.
on March 7, 2023, the Los Angeles Lakers retired his No. 16 jersey.
Pau Gasol Wife
Meet Catherine McDonnell
Pau Gasol is a happily married man. He has been married to Catherine McDonnell since 2019.
Catherine McDonnell, born on May 22, 1989, is a successful businesswoman and entrepreneur.
She has a Bachelor’s degree in communication and business, and also a Master’s degree in the same field from the University of Southern California.
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