Born into a family with a long history in basketball, Pau Gasol has been melting our hearts in all the right places ever since he started making appearances in field. The athlete began his basketball career in 1998 and played for four basketball teams: FC Barcelona (1998–2001), Memphis Grizzlies (2001–2008), Los Angeles Lakers (2008–2014), Chicago Bulls (2014 –2016). ) and currently represents the San Antonio Spurs in the basketball league since 2016. During his successful career, Pau surpassed 11,000 rebounds and 20,000 points, becoming the 34th 'NBA' star to play 40,000 career minutes. Did we mention that the basketball player has a great career? Yes, the basketball player is much loved for excelling in the game over the years despite the challenges it brings. To his credit, he is a two-time NBA champion (he owns the two titles with the Los Angeles Lakers), a six-time NBA All-Star, NBA Rookie of the Year in 2002 and a four-time All-Star. NBA selection (2x on the second team and 2x on the third team). On the international stage, Gasol holds a FIBA ​​World Cup title, an Olympic bronze medal, 3 EuroBasket titles with the Spanish basketball team, and two Olympic silver medals. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The San Antonio Spurs center/power forward was born to athlete parents: Agusti Gasol (father) and Marisa Sáez (mother) on July 6, 1980, in Barcelona, ​​Spain. Growing up, the athlete was not only interested in basketball but also football and rugby. He would later shift his interest to basketball after growing up. Initially, he was never interested in pursuing a career in basketball as he wanted to become a doctor. After completing high school, Pau joined Barcelona to study medicine, however, he dropped out along the way due to his involvement in basketball. Gasol began representing Barcelona's junior team in matches at the age of sixteen. He also won both the 1998 FIBA ​​European Under-18 Championship and the 1998 Albert Schweitzer Tournament. After his brilliant performances at the competitions, Pau moved to Barcelona's senior basketball team. In the 1998-1999 season of the Spanish ACB league, the forward played 25 total minutes and the following year he averaged 13.7 minutes per game in the ACB. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a custom essay Pau entered the NBA draft and was subsequently selected by the Atlanta Hawks third overall in the first round in the 2001 NBA draft. The Hawks are said to have traded Gasol's draft rights to the Memphis, Tennessee basketball team , the Memphis Grizzlies, in exchange for American professional basketball player Shareef Abdur-Rahim.