Pau Gasol to announce his decision regarding a possible retirement / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: AFP-Scanpix Credit AFP-Scanpix

The journey of a legendary Pau Gasol might come to an end.

El Mundo’s Lucas Saez-Bravo reports that Gasol will hold a press conference on October 5 in which he will likely announce his retirement.

Gasol, 41, was thinking about the future after his last stint with the Spanish national team in the Tokyo Olympic Games. The most realistic destination was FC Barcelona, where Gasol finished last season.

“I don’t see myself playing for another team in Europe other than Barcelona. ​​It wouldn’t make sense to me,” Gasol said two weeks ago. “It depends more on my family and me, we have been in the sport that I love for many years, and that has been and is a part of my life that cannot be replaced.”

“I have taken time after Tokyo to think and disconnect. If I continue playing, I take risks because I have squeezed my body a lot. I have to see the pros and cons. I have a couple more laps left, but stability is something that we haven’t had in my family. There are days when I feel like training again, and other days I don’t see it so clearly,” he added.

Last season, Gasol averaged 4.6 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 6 PIR in seven EuroLeague games.

Barcelona’s captain Pierre Oriola also mentioned that he would like to see Gasol back with the team.

“I have not spoken to Pau since playing with him on the National Team,” Oriola said during the presentation of the ACB Liga Endesa. “I guess he will take a vacation and enjoy his family. Basketball is good, but in the end, the important thing is family. If Pau thinks he would like to come back, as the team captain, I would like to see him return and help us, just like he did last year.”

Pau Gasol is one of the winningest basketball players ever. He is a two-time NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers, six-time NBA All-Star, and 2002 Rookie of the Year.

In the international arena, he led Spain to gold medals at the 2006 World Cup and the EuroBasket in 2009, 2011, and 2015.

Gasol also has silver medals from the 2008 and 2012 Olympics and 2003 and 2007 EuroBasket tournaments. To complete his collection of all colors, Pau has bronze medals from the 2016 Olympics and 2001 and 2017 European championships.

Subscribe to BN+ and get access to exclusive content.