Free agent center/forward Pau Gasol said he is hopeful of playing another season and then to compete for Spain in the scheduled 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
But Gasol said not to believe rumors of him possibly teaming up with brother Marc Gasol for Spanish club Barcelona. “Fake news,” Gasol insisted.
Marc Gasol is also set to enter free agency after spending the past season-and-a-half with the Toronto Raptors.
“In the next month, month and a half I will find out if I can compete again,” Pau Gasol said, via Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. “My goal is to play at the highest level one more season and be at the Olympic Games in Tokyo”
Gasol, 40, is 7-foot-0 and a native of Barcelona. He played with the club from 1998-2001, before being selected by the Atlanta Hawks with the No. 3 overall pick. He was quickly traded to the Memphis Grizzlies, the team with which he spent seven seasons.
The six-time All-Star was named NBA Rookie of the Year in 2002 and won championships as a member of the Kobe Bryant-led Los Angeles Lakers (2009, ’10). He also spent time with the Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs.
Gasol appeared in three games with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2019, before being sidelined with a left ankle injury that required surgery. Gasol then signed with the Portland Trail Blazers last July. He was waived in November.
Gasol carries career averages of 17.0 points on 51 percent shooting and 9.2 rebounds. He has won 11 medals as a member of Spain’s national team in international competitions.
