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Pau Gasol

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Pau Gasol
File:PauGasol.JPG
No. 16 – Los Angeles Lakers
PositionPower forward/Center
LeagueNational Basketball Association
Personal information
Born (1980-07-06) July 6, 1980 (age 44)
Sant Boi de Llobregat, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
NationalitySpain Spanish
Listed height7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
Listed weight260 lb (118 kg)
Career information
NBA draft2001: 3rd overall
Selected by the Atlanta Hawks
Playing career1999–present
Career highlights and awards
2001 ACB League MVP
2002 NBA Rookie of the Year
2006 FIBA World Championship MVP
NBA All-Star (2006)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Olympic medal record
Representing  Spain
Men's Basketball
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2006 Japan National team
European Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2001 Turkey National team
Silver medal – second place 2003 Sweden National team
Silver medal – second place 2007 Spain National team

Pau Gasol Sáez or Pau Gasol (pronounced POW guh-SAHL)[1] (born July 6, 1980 in Sant Boi de Llobregat, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain) is a 2.13 meter (7 feet 0 inches) Spanish basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association. He was born to Marisa Sáez and Agustí Gasol, and he spent his childhood growing up in Spain. Gasol also has two brothers, Marc Gasol, who like Pau, is a professional basketball player, and Adrià Gasol.

Gasol was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks in the 2001 NBA Draft, but his rights were traded to the Memphis Grizzlies where he played seven seasons with them. He also currently holds the Memphis Grizzlies franchise records for career games played, minutes played, field goals made and attempted, free throws made and attempted, offensive, defensive, and total rebounds, blocked shots, turnovers, and points.[2] On February 3, 2008, Gasol was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, and a USA Today article said he was "the major factor in turning around a storied NBA franchise and making it hip to be a Los Angeles Lakers fan again."[3]

Pre-NBA and NBA Draft

Gasol began playing basketball with his school team, and he eventually signed with C.B. Cornella. When he was sixteen, he began playing for Barcelona's junior team,[4] and with Gasol, the junior team won both the 1998 Albert Schweitzer Tournament and the 1998 European Junior Championship.[5] After moving to the senior team, Gasol played just eleven total minutes in the 1998-99 season, and averaged under 15 minutes per game in the next year. However, in his final season in Europe, Gasol averaged 11.3 points and 5.2 rebounds in just under 24 minutes per game, and after Barcelona was victorious in the Spanish National Cup, he was awarded the MVP of the tournament.[5] After entering the NBA Draft, Gasol was selected third overall in the first round in the 2001 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks,[6] who traded his draft rights to the Vancouver Grizzlies in exchange for Shareef Abdur-Rahim.[7]

2001-2005

In Gasol's first season with the Grizzlies, he won the Rookie of the Year Award,[8] and was named to the All-Rookie first team.[9] He averaged 17.6 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, and was also the only team member to play all 82 games that season.[10] In his second year with the Grizzlies, he led the team in scoring (19.0 points per game), and for the second year in a row, he played all 82 games.[10] In his third year with the Grizzlies, Gasol missed the first game of his career with a foot injury on April 5, 2004, which snapped a string of 240 consecutive games.[11] He grabbed the 1,500th rebound of his career on Nov. 12 against the Orlando Magic and scored his 3,000th career point on Oct. 31st vs. the Boston Celtics.[12] Despite having 22 points in Game 4 vs. San Antonio, the highest by a Grizzlie in the playoffs, his team was eliminated in the first round, not winning a single game against the San Antonio Spurs. This was both the Grizzlies and Gasol's first trip to the NBA Playoffs.[13] In his fourth year with the Grizzlies, He scored 31 points and blocked four shots on January 11 against the Indiana Pacers to earn 5,000 points and 500 blocks in his career (the 10th fastest player to reach 5,000 points/500 blocks since 1973-74). He also helped his team make it to the playoffs for the second time in his career.[12] Gasol and the Grizzlies managed to make it to the playoffs for the second time, but were eliminated in the first round and did not win a single game against the Phoenix Suns.[14]

2005-2006

Gasol was with the Memphis Grizzlies from 2001-2008 until he was traded away to the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2007-2008 season.

In his fifth year with the team, he became the franchise’s all-time leading rebounder on Mar. 24/06 against the New York Knicks when he grabbed his 3,072nd rebound in a Grizzlies uniform. He made 29 consecutive free throw attempts from Jan. 24-28 2006, tying the second best mark in Grizzlies history, including two straight games going 12-12 from the line, tying the best single-game mark in franchise history.[12] Gasol and The Grizzlies returned to the playoffs for the third time in his and his team's history. Once again, they were eliminated in the first round and did not win a single game against the Dallas Mavericks.[15]

First All-Star Game

On February 9, 2006, for the first time in his career, Gasol was selected to play in the 2006 NBA All-Star Game in Houston, Texas as a reserve center for the Western Conference. At the time, he was one of four players ranked among Western Conference forwards in the top ten in points, rebounds, assists and blocked shots.[16] He was the first Spanish basketball player as well as the first Grizzlies player to ever make it to the All-Star Game.[16]

2006-07

Gasol missed the first 19 games of the 2006-07 NBA season due to a broken foot suffered near the end of Spain's semifinal win over Argentina in the 2006 FIBA World Championship. He would go on to be named Most Valuable Player of the tournament, which Spain won.[12] He had a season-high 34 points (most by a Grizzly this season), and eight rebounds and tied a career-high and franchise record with eight blocks on January 29 vs. Sacramento,[17] and surpassed Shareef Abdur-Rahim as the franchise's all-time leader in free throw attempts on January 31 vs. Dallas. He became the all-time franchise leader in field goals made on February 6 vs. the Houston Rockets.[12], and became the all-time franchise leader in minutes played on February 7 at Dallas.[12] He surpassed Shareef Abdur-Rahim (7,801 points) as the Grizzlies' all-time leading scorer on March 7, 2007 against the Toronto Raptors (7,809 points at the time).[12] His team failed to make a fourth-straight appearance in the NBA Playoffs.

2007-08

On February 1 2008, Gasol was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, making this the second team that he has played on since 2001, along with a 2010 second round draft pick for Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie, rights to Marc Gasol (Pau's younger brother), and 2008 and 2010 first round draft picks. Albeit, there has been a bit of controversy surrounding the trade. Chris Wallace denied in an ESPN article that he had been ordered by owner Michael Heisley to make the Grizzlies more attractive to a potential buyer. Heisley has been trying to sell the franchise for two years. Wallace said, "No one put pressure on me to do this, and Michael Heisley has actually been reluctant to move Pau." He also said that they had been "trolling" the waters for a while and dealt with a number of teams. He selected the Lakers deal because "it didn't get any better than this."[18] When Gasol departed the Grizzlies, he held twelve franchise records, including games played, minutes played, field goals made and attempted, free throws made and attempted, offensive, defensive, and total rebounds, blocked shots, turnovers, and points. Per game statistics, he leads Memphis in defensive and total rebound along with blocked shots.[19] On February 5, he made his first Lakers appearance in the game against the New Jersey Nets, during which he scored 24 points and had 12 rebounds in a 105-90 win over the Nets.[20][21] On March 14, 2008, Gasol sprained his ankle against the New Orleans Hornets, stepping on the foot of teammate Vladimir Radmanović in the first quarter.[22] Gasol was expected to miss the remaining three games of the Lakers' road trip after x-rays came up negative.[23] Gasol returned to the starting lineup on April 2 against the Portland Trail Blazers and played nearly thirty-two minutes, registering 10 points, six rebounds and seven assists.[24] He admitted to feeling limited with the swelling in his ankle still present.[24] Kobe Bryant has also stated that playing with Gasol clicked from the start. Gasol is described in a USA Today article as "a major factor in turning around a storied NBA franchise and making it hip to be a Los Angeles Lakers fan again."[3]

2007-08 Playoffs

In Gasol's first playoff win when the Lakers beat the Denver Nuggets, he posted thirty-six points, sixteen rebounds, eight assists, and three blocks.[3] When the Lakers swept the first round of the 2007-08 playoffs against the Nuggets, it was Gasol's fourth trip to the playoffs and the first time he has not been on the losing end of a series. His previous team, the Memphis Grizzlies, did not make it to the playoffs for the second year in a row. This has been Gasol's first trip beyond the first round as his team, the Lakers, made it to the Conference finals after defeating the Utah Jazz. He contributed 17 points and 13 rebounds in the Lakers clinching win to advance them to the conference finals.[25]

Player profile

Gasol is currently in his seventh year in the National Basketball Association. He has often been compared with fellow European players Toni Kukoč and Dirk Nowitzki, holding career averages of 18.8 points per game, 8.6 rebounds per game and 3.1 assists per game. He is a refined scorer from both inside and midrange, and also is near-ambidextrous. Gasol uses a variety of midrange jumpers, hookshots, up-and-under moves, reverse pivots, and shot fakes to score very efficiently. He is also an above-average shotblocker, with a career average of 1.8 blocks per game. Statistically, he shoots a 22.7 percent when it comes to three pointers. Before being traded to the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2007-08 season, he had only played with the Memphis Grizzlies from 2001-2008. When he was traded to the Lakers, he maintained the same number on his jersey, still playing with the number 16. In his career, Pau Gasol has never been ejected[1] He is ranked 2nd in blocks per game (3.0) and 4th in blocks (18.0) in playoff rankings.[26]

NBA career statistics

Correct as of 15 May 2008[10]
Regular season Team GP MPG SPG BPG RPG APG PPG FG% 3P% FT%
2001-02 Memphis Grizzlies 82 36.7 0.5 2.1 8.9 2.7 17.6 .518 .200 .709
2002-03 Memphis Grizzlies 82 36.0 0.4 1.8 8.8 2.8 19.0 .510 .100 .736
2003-04 Memphis Grizzlies 78 31.5 0.6 1.7 7.7 2.5 17.7 .482 .267 .714
2004-05 Memphis Grizzlies 56 32.0 0.7 1.7 7.3 2.4 17.8 .514 .167 .768
2005-06 Memphis Grizzlies 80 39.2 0.6 1.9 8.9 4.6 20.4 .503 .250 .689
2006-07 Memphis Grizzlies 59 36.2 0.5 2.1 9.8 3.4 20.8 .538 .273 .748
2007-08 Memphis Grizzlies 39 36.7 0.4 1.4 8.8 3.0 18.9 .501 .267 .819
2007-08 Los Angeles Lakers 27 34.0 0.5 1.6 7.8 3.5 18.8 .589 .000 .789
Career Average 63 35.4 0.5 1.8 8.6 3.1 18.8 .513 .227 .733
Career Total 503 17,821 261 919 4,307 1,568 9,474 3,520-6,866 17-75 2,417-3,299
Playoffs Team GP MPG SPG BPG RPG APG PPG FG% 3P% FT%
2003-04 Memphis Grizzlies 4 33.5 1.0 1.5 5.0 2.5 18.5 .571 .000 .900
2004-05 Memphis Grizzlies 4 33.3 0.5 1.8 7.5 2.5 21.3 .488 1.000 .500
2005-06 Memphis Grizzlies 4 39.5 0.5 1.2 6.8 3.0 20.3 .433 .000 .767
2007-08 Los Angeles Lakers 9 41.4 0.3 2.8 8.1 4.8 20.3 .590 .000 .709
Career average 21 38.0 0.5 2.0 7.1 3.6 20.1 .528 .500 .735

Other titles

Spanish national team

FC Barcelona

  • ACB League Champion (2001)
  • Spanish Copa del Rey Champion (2001)
  • Most Valuable Player in ACB league (2001)
  • Most Valuable Player in Copa del Rey (2001)

Personal

Pau Gasol's mother, Marisa, is a medical doctor, and his father Agustí a nurse administrator. When Gasol was born, his family was living in Cornellà, a community in the Barcelona province of Catalonia, a region of Spain, but he was born in Sant Pau Hospital, where both of his parents worked, in the city of Barcelona. When he was six years old, his family moved to another Barcelona suburb, Sant Boi de Llobregat, where he spent the remainder of his childhood.[4] Gasol was never interested in football, but loved basketball. The first sport he played was actually rugby, before switching to basketball.[27] He is described as "a family boy and the perfect student, a tad shy, and a bit of a joker."[4] His younger brother, Marc, who is 7 feet 1 inch and 265 pounds, is also a professional basketball player. Marc was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers 48th overall in the 2007 NBA Draft and whose rights now belongs to the Memphis Grizzlies, as part of the deal that sent Pau Gasol to the Lakers.[20] Gasol currently resides in Marina Del Rey and is single.

References

  1. ^ a b "Pau Gasol Stats". ESPN. Retrieved 2008-05-17. Cite error: The named reference "GasolStats" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Memphis Grizzlies Career Leaders". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2008-05-17.
  3. ^ a b c Moore, David. "Gasol quickly fits in to help Lakers". USA Today. Retrieved 2008-05-17.
  4. ^ a b c "Pau Gasol's Official Web Site" (in Catalan). Nike. Retrieved 2008-05-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  5. ^ a b "NBA Draft 2001 - Pau Gasol". NBA.com. Retrieved 2008-05-18.
  6. ^ "2001 NBA Draft Board". NBA.com. Retrieved 2008-05-19.
  7. ^ Newberry, Paul. "Abdur-Rahim Heading Home". NBA.com. Retrieved 2008-05-17.
  8. ^ "Pau Gasol - 2001-2002 Rookie of the Year". NBA.com. Retrieved 2008-05-19.
  9. ^ "All-Rookie Teams". NBA.com. Retrieved 2008-05-19.
  10. ^ a b c "Pau Gasol Career Stats Page". NBA.com. Retrieved 2008-05-18.
  11. ^ "Grizzlies Sign Pau Gasol To A Multi-Year Contract Extension". NBA.com. Retrieved 2008-05-18.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g "Pau Gasol Info Page". NBA.com. Retrieved 2008-05-17.
  13. ^ "NBA Playoffs 2004". Retrieved 2008-05-17.
  14. ^ "NBA Playoffs 2005". Retrieved 2008-05-17.
  15. ^ "NBA Playoffs 2006". Retrieved 2008-05-17.
  16. ^ a b "Pau Gasol Named Western Conference All-Star Reserve". Retrieved 2008-05-17.
  17. ^ "Gasol accurately attacks from field; Grizz win only third of last 10". Retrieved 2005-05-17.
  18. ^ "What were the Grizzlies Thinking?". Retrieved 2005-05-17.
  19. ^ "Memphis Grizzlies Franchise Leaders". Retrieved 2008-05-17.
  20. ^ a b "ESPN - In dire need of frontcourt help, Lakers acquire Gasol from Grizzlies - NBA". Retrieved 2008-05-17.]
  21. ^ "Gasol dealt to Lakers in blockbuster trade". Retrieved 2008-02-01.
  22. ^ "Paul's double-double helps Hornets prevail". Retrieved 2008-05-17.
  23. ^ "Lakers' Gasol to sit out at least three games with injured ankle". Retrieved 2005-05-17.
  24. ^ a b "Gasol contributes 10 points in Lakers' win over Portland". Retrieved 2008-05-17.
  25. ^ "Lakers Win Series 4-2". Retrieved 2008-05-17.
  26. ^ "Pau Gasol Career Stats Page". NBA.com. Retrieved 2008-05-17.
  27. ^ "Pau Gasol Más perfiles". Retrieved 2005-07-06. Template:Es icon

Template:Persondata

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Preceded by NBA Rookie of the Year
2002 		Succeeded by
Preceded by FIBA World Championship
MVP
2006 		Succeeded by
Incumbent

Template:Spain Squad 2002 FIBA World Championship

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