Pau Gasol retires from basketball after illustrious career

One of the greatest big men in NBA history is calling it quits.

The Los Angeles Lakers legend and two-time NBA champion Pau Gasol officially announced his decision to retire from basketball on Tuesday.

“It was a difficult decision, as you might imagine, after many years…But it was a decision made with a lot of thought” said Gasol during a news conference in Spain.

“You have to change gears a little bit and know how to enjoy it. And one of the things I wanted was to end my career while enjoying it. Not because of an injury, not in crutches”

The 41-year old Spaniard averaged 17.0 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists over a span of 20 NBA seasons split between the Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies, Chicago Bulls, San Antonio Spurs, and Milwaukee Bucks. He spent the 2020/21 campaign with his original professional club Barcelona FC in Spain.