Pau Gasol announces retirement after 23-year basketball career
Pau Gasol won two NBA titles and three Olympic medals; He helped Barcelona win Spanish title this year before competing at the Olympics; Gasol: "It's a difficult decision after so many years but it's a decision I've taken carefully"
Last Updated: 05/10/21 6:17pm
Spanish basketball great Pau Gasol has announced that he is retiring from the sport after a 23-year career.
The 41-year-old won two NBA titles and three Olympic medals during a successful career.
At a news conference at Barcelona's Liceu theatre, he said: "I'm here to tell you that I'm going to retire from professional basketball.
"It's a difficult decision after so many years but it's a decision I've taken carefully."
Gasol, who stands 7 feet 1 inch, made his professional debut in 1998 with Barca as a centre before being signed by NBA side Memphis Grizzlies in 2001.
He won NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2009 and 2010, while being chosen in the All-Star team on six occasions.
Gasol later played for Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs, and had a brief stint with Milwaukee Bucks plus four months at Portland Trail Blazers, where injury prevented him from playing.
He returned to Barcelona earlier this year, helping his boyhood club end a seven-year wait to win the Spanish championship in June.
Gasol was a talisman for Spain, helping them win the Olympic silver medal at the 2008 and 2012 Games plus bronze in 2016.
He recovered from almost two years out injured to compete at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, where Spain lost in the quarter-finals to eventual winners the USA, in his final international.
Gasol began the news conference by detailing his battle to overcome the stress fracture he suffered in his left foot in 2019.
"Not many doctors thought I'd be able to recover but I'm a person who likes challenges and I wanted to fight to do the improbable," he said.
"I got to the point where I was relaxed about my career ending, I was at peace.
"But, when things went well, I took the decision to sign for Barcelona, which wasn't in my plans.
"But I managed to win the league with the club where it all began and where I made my debut. It's been very special."
Gasol also paid tribute to the late Kobe Bryant, his former Lakers teammate, who died in a helicopter crash in January 2020.
"I'd have liked him to have been here today but sometimes life is unfair," said Gasol.
"He taught me to be a better competitor, a real winner, I considered him like an older brother."
