Wishing his “older brother” Kobe Bryant could be there by his side, Pau Gasol finally put an end to a basketball career that went “way beyond my dreams and expectations.”
Gasol announced his retirement from basketball on Tuesday after a career that lasted more than two decades and earned him two NBA titles and a world championship gold with Spain’s national team.
Gasol had already announced his farewell from international basketball in August after Spain lost to the US in the quarter finals of the Tokyo Games, which marked his fifth Olympics.
Gasol won two NBA titles with the Lakers, in 2009 and 2010, and averaged 17 points and 9.2 rebounds in 1,226 regular-season games with five NBA teams, playing as a centre and power forward.
He helped Spain win Olympic silver in 2008 in Beijing and 2012 in London, as well as a bronze in Rio.