San Antonio Spurs big man Pau Gasol has always loved suiting up for his native Spain in FIBA play. In fact, he's been a go-to player for the team for quite some time. Now, with the World Cup qualifiers coming in September, it sounds like he wants to keep that tradition alive.
Gasol, now 37 years of age, revealed his intentions in an interview with Marca — a Spanish newspaper and website.
Whether or not he'll receive an official invite remains to be seen. For now, though, CSKA Moscow guard Sergio Rodriguez is the marquee name on the Spanish national team. Other players listed on the pre-selection roster include Juancho Hernangomez of the Denver Nuggets, Real Madrid's Santi Yusta, as well as Victor Claver and Pierre Oriola from Barcelona. For a full list of the squad, fans can head over to this link from eurohoops.net.
Gasol, who recently said he'd like to play three or four more years, made 77 appearances with the Spurs during their 2017-18 regular season campaign, averaging 10.1 points on 45.8 percent shooting from the field (35.8 percent from beyond the arc)8.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.0 block in 23.5 minutes per.
If there is room on the team, it would probably be wise to add a player like Pau Gasol. He's a two-time NBA champion, six-time NBA All-Star, and four-time All-NBA selection. Furthermore, he's had loads of success with the Spanish team in previous years, winning the 2006 FIBA World Championship and the 2009 and 2011 EuroBasket tournaments. In a game against Hungary on September 7, 2017, he became FIBA's all-time leading scorer (1,183 total points scored), passing Frenchman Tony Parker (1,104).
Gasol is a truly gifted seven-footer who has recorded more than 550 double-doubles over the course of his career in the NBA. Let's see if he gets that invite.
Follow Us
Subscribe