After leaving Barcelona to go to the NBA twenty years ago, 40 year old Pau Gasol is returning back to Spain to play for FC Barcelona Basketball of the Euro League.
“I’m happy to return to the club where I began, and I’m excited about this new opportunity: I hope to contribute to the first team very soon. I want to thank Barca and its technical staff for making it possible to join them,” Gasol said in a statement.
On February 20th, Gasol denied the rumors of his return to Spain. “After hearing the news out of Spain today, I wanted to share that I remain focused on my recovery and I am not ready to get back to competing just yet. As soon as I have something to announce, I will do so,” Gasol said on Twitter.
Gasol began his career with Barcelona in 1998 until 2001. He then was selected by the Atlanta Hawks with the third pick in the first round of the 2001 NBA draft but was soon traded to the Memphis Grizzlies, where he was named NBA Rookie of the Year.
Gasol won two championships with the Los Angeles Lakers and also played for the Chicago Bulls, San Antonio Spurs and Milwaukee Bucks. He also won a FIBA World Cup title, three EuroBasket titles, two Olympic silver medals and an Olympic bronze medal with the Spanish national basketball team.
Postgame Reports 