Pau Gasol is a former professional basketball player for the NBA and the Spanish National Team. He began his career at FC Barcelona. Before dedicating himself professionally to basketball he completed a year of medicine at the University of Barcelona. In 2001, he was selected in the third position of the NBA draft by the Atlanta Hawks but his rights were transferred to the Memphis Grizzlies. Pau became the second Spanish athlete to play in the NBA, and during that first season he was recognized as 'Rookie of the Year' (he was the first non-US player to win this award).
He was also the first to qualify for the playoffs with the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2003-2004 season and to win an NBA ring twice with the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 seasons.
Understanding firsthand the importance of being a team player to succeed, Pau Gasol conveys in his conferences a message of leadership and motivation focused on the keys to teamwork and mental strength. He was educated on the principles of healthy living and, as a professional athlete, he emphasizes the importance of eating a balanced diet, exercising, resting the proper hours and taking care of emotional well-being.
He is one of only four players in the history of the NBA with at least 20,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, 3,500 assists and 1,800 caps accumulated during the regular season. On September 7, 2017, he became the top scorer in the history of the Eurobasket.
With the Spanish national basketball team, Gasol has won two Olympic silver medals, one bronze medal, a basketball world cup and three Eurobaskets. In 2017, he was appointed Vice President of the Executive Committee of the National Basketball Player Association. He was the first player to be named to the Executive Committee that did not go through the NCAA system. He is also a member of the advisory board of ADESP (Spanish Sports Association) and member of the IOC Athletes Commission.
Off the field, he is a great champion of social causes. In 2013, he created with his brother Marc the Gasol Foundation, whose mission is to reduce the rates of child obesity. This entity focuses its efforts on promoting healthy living habits among children and young people through its programs in both Spain and the United States. In 2022, Pau developed the National Strategic Plan for the Reduction of Childhood Obesity in collaboration with the Government of Spain.
Gasol has served as an Ambassador for the Spanish Committee for UNICEF since 2003. As a UNICEF Ambassador he spends much of his time extolling the values of healthy nutrition and fighting the pandemic of child obesity around the world.
