Photo: Gary Dineen/NBAE via Getty Images
Pau Gasol’s life on and off the court will be explored in an upcoming documentary series about the former NBA star.
The four-episode docuseries about the athlete, 40, is expected to be released this fall,Varietyconfirmed Tuesday.
The Spain native began his sports career in Barcelona before coming to the United States for the NBA in 2001.
Along with his successful basketball career — Gasol won two NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers and is a six-time NBA All-Star — the athlete is also a star soccer player. Gasol has also won three Olympic medals as part of Spain’s national basketball team.
“There comes a time when a player’s professional career must come to an end,” Gasol said in a statement. “It won’t be a happy time for me, but you have to be prepared for it as there will be a huge gap that I will have to fill. Hopefully this series helps shine a light on my state of mind as I contemplate what’s next.”
The athlete’s final NBA game was in March 2019. A few months later, in May of that year, Gasol underwent surgery to repair a stress fracture in his left foot.
Getting back to his roots, Gasol signed with FC Barcelona last month and hopes to take home the gold at the Tokyo Olympics this summer.
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Gasol was also a close friend of late NBA starKobe Bryant.
The basketball player and Bryant formed an especially close bond during their time on the Lakers, and Gasol has been a source of emotional support for the late athlete’s wife, Vanessa Bryant, and their three daughters,Natalia, 18, Bianka, 4, and 21-month-oldCapri.
Gasol and his wife, Catherine McDonnell even named their newborn daughter “Elisabet Gianna Gasol” in memory of Bryant’s late daughter, Gianna.
source: people.com
