By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Pau Gasol is expected to announce his retirement from professional basketball next Tuesday, 5 October.
He has set a press conference to address the ending of his career on Tuesday, per Lucas Saez-Bravo.
Gasol, 41, was contemplating his future since confirming his retirement at the international level in August. He finished his lengthy and successful run as a member of the Spain national team following the 2020 Olympic Games held in Tokyo during the summer.
Following the foot injury sidelining him for most of the previous two years, he returned to FC Barcelona in February. He logged 4.6 points and 2.4 rebounds per game over seven Turkish Airlines EuroLeague appearances, his first in 20 years, and also posted 10.4 points and 5.0 rebounds per ACB contest. His farewell campaign resulted in Barca ranking second in the EuroLeague Final Four and winning the ACB championship.
The fifth participation in the Olympics saw Gasol put up 6.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game. He failed to add on his international silverware of 11 medals in FIBA competitions, including gold in the 2006 World Cup, as Spain ranked sixth at Tokyo after being knocked out by the USA in the quarterfinals.
His NBA career stretching between his two stints at Barcelona featured 1,362 games played between the Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls, San Antonio Spurs, and Milwaukee Bucks. He was crowned NBA champion twice, in 2009 and 2010, playing alongside Kobe Bryant at the Lakers.
As for Barcelona, the Catalan powerhouse will host ALBA Berlin on Friday in the 2021-22 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season opener. The team coached by Sarunas Jasikevicius is already at 3-0 at the domestic level, ACB.
Photo Credit: FIBA.BASKETBALL