The 41-year-old announces his retirement and is moved by talking about Kobe Bryant: “I wish he were here”. He has won everything, in the NBA, in Europe and with Spain
The flag drops. That of Pau Gasol, but also of Spain as a whole, of a legend capable of being a hero both at home and in the NBA, to shine every time he stepped onto the most difficult stage. “I retire from pro basketball” – he said at the press conference organized at the Gran Teatro Liceo in Barcelona -. It is a difficult decision after so many years, but also a thoughtful decision that brings me change and which I will have to take advantage of ”. He closes after 21 seasons as a professional, 18 of which in the NBA, after being a phenomenon, reference point, idol and teammate. After being exceptional on the pitch and even better off, with a trophy room that testify to his triumphs, from two NBA titles to three Olympic medals. “I’ve won cups and medals, but the most important thing is to make the most of the moment, do it with the people you love. This is what I will do from now on, even if I have always tried to do it. I want to keep doing it. It’s not goodbye but goodbye. His career as a player ends but other paths open up. I am convinced that I will have other chances of doing something important ”.
tears and thanks
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Pau often fights with emotion, which breaks his voice in the most touching passages of his farewell press conference. It happens when the long list of thanks for the people who helped him to “try to be the best, to keep improving without setting limits and preventing me from being put” begins. It happens when he talks about Marc “the younger brother who had the same passion as me and was more convinced than me with basketball, where I always went with lead feet”. And especially when he tries to talk about Kobe Bryant: “I would really like him to be here – he says before interrupting himself, unable to continue -. Life is really unfair, we miss Kobe as much as his daughter Gigi. It taught me to be a better leader, what it really meant to be a winner. I consider him an older brother ”. Gasol talks for over half an hour alone on stage, his blow-up to make him feel less alone on a stool from which he turns to a packed room, which helps him with applause every time the emotion takes over. Continue for half an hour, retracing a path in basketball that has lasted a lifetime, remembering the importance of being part of a team even if you are like him the best of all. Then he talks about his future, of the one in which he wants to continue to be exceptional, in which he wants to “give back to sport and society all that they have given me, because when you are a leader there are also responsibilities that you have to take on”. As a member of the IOC, elected during the Tokyo Games in the athletes commission. As an ambassador of his Barcelona, which gave him the latest emotions on the pitch. As president of his foundation. Like a 41-year-old who, after closing a huge chapter in his life, wants to open another equally significant one.
the legend
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Gasol is a phenomenon, in the NBA as well as in Fiba basketball. He left Barcelona in 2001 and landed in the NBA, called by Memphis as the third overall choice in the draft. Rookie of the Year in 2002, he grew to become the very symbol of the Grizzlies, who sold him to the Lakers in February 2008. In Los Angeles, paired with Kobe Bryant, Pau won the 2009 and 2010 rings, establishing himself as one of the best longs around for intelligence and talent. He also played with Chicago, San Antonio and Milwaukee, finishing after 1226 games in 18 seasons at 17.2 points per game plus 136 in the playoffs at 15.4 on average. He exited the NBA with injury in November 2019, leaving Portland who saw him as an important piece of a team with title ambitions due to a foot injury that he didn’t want to heal. Pau got back on his feet to chase one last milestone: the Tokyo Olympics, the backstage of his legendary career. Best Spanish player ever with no ifs and buts, Pau has taken Spanish basketball to another level: with him at the helm, Spain won the 2006 World Cup, the 2008 and 2012 Olympic silver medals (plus the bronze in 2016) and the Europeans 2009, 2011 and 2015.
October 5, 2021 (change October 5, 2021 | 20:24)
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