The greatest player in the history of Spanish basketball, Pau Gasol, has summoned the media next Tuesday 5th at the mythical Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona to communicate its “Professional future” in an act in which the presence of “personal guests” of the athlete is announced as well as the media. The magnitude of the call allows us to presume that Pau can announce his retirement from professional basketball At 41, after the reflection time that was taken after the Olympic Games, in which he was able to be on a court for the last time at a professional level against the United States.
In the bowels of the Saitama Arena, Gasol communicated that he did not want to make a hot decision and did take time to reflect with his family. After almost two months have passed since the elimination of Spain in the quarterfinals of the Tokyo Games, the pivot is in a position to give a final answer about his future. He will do it in Barcelona, where he played last season to close the circle. 20 years after his departure in 2001, he donned the Barça club shirt to be the league champion and runner-up in the Euroleague., one of the few titles that he has yet to conquer in a career that has two NBA rings with the Lakers, a World Cup, three golds in Eurobasket and three Olympic medals, two silver and one bronze, among a multitude of individual awards. Gasol made a brutal effort and even put his personal health at risk to recover from his very serious foot injury and get back to racing. He succeeded, and fulfilled his dream of playing his fifth Games.
Pau is a member of the IOC
On August 4, Pau Gasol was elected a new member of the International Olympic Committee, becoming the sixteenth Spanish to enter the body. Pau entered the Assembly after the Games on behalf of the athletes. His association will extend until Los Angeles 2024. The oldest of the Gasols shared the candidacy with 29 other athletes from 19 different summer Olympic sports and was selected along with the Italian swimmer Federica Pellegrini, the Japanese fencer Yuki Ota and the Polish cyclist Maja Martyna Wloszczowska to ensure the interests of athletes within the decision-making process of the highest Olympic body. Gasol was the most voted athlete. Up to 6,825 people participated in the vote. Pau received 1,888 votes. In the short term, that could be the future more linked to the sport of Pau Gasol, although we will have to wait until Tuesday for the final announcement.