FIBA World Championship MVP Pau Gasol

Despite the fact that he was on crutches and would spend the next four months rehabbing, Pau Gasol was a happy man on 3 September 2006.  He had the 2006 World Championship trophy in one hand and the MVP award of the tournament in the other while a gold medal hung around his neck. Though he did not play in the final game due to an injury, he was instrumental in his team’s semi-final win and was the leader and the key player to Spanish success in Japan, averaging 21.3 points and 9.4 rebounds per game in an astonishing performance.

One year later, Gasol is healthy and ready to join the National Team and enjoy a few victories after a frustrating season with his NBA team, the Memphis Grizzlies, who finished with the worst record in the league at 22-60. Gasol, in spite of averaging 20.8 points and 9.8 rebounds per game and becoming the franchise’s all-time leading scorer, was eventually booed after requesting a mid-season trade.

“After such a frustrating season, playing with the National Team is a good therapy,” stated Gasol, who underlined the great time he had spending his summers playing for Spain.

“It’s a great human group with a winning spirit all around and all the players feel like they were at home.”

Pau Gasol will face a major challenge in the EuroBasket 2007. Playing at home after the 2006 World Championship success will mean a huge amount of media and fan attention, especially when it comes to the Grizzlies’ center.

“Distraction is the only thing that worries me. While playing in Japan we were kind of isolated but now it will be harder,” he explained.

Pau Gasol’s vitae with the National Team is absolutely amazing. He was the top rebounder in his EuroBasket premiere in Turkey 2001, top scorer at the 2003 EuroBasket (25.8ppg), top scorer of the 2004 Olympic Games and MVP of the 2006 World Championship after averaging 20.9 points (63.1% FG) and 8.4 rebounds per contest.

As a player, Gasol is incredible in the low post, where he combines his athleticism and height with awesome moves, including an array of reverses and hooks. He is also a very dangerous one-on-one player due to his great ball-handling and quick first step. At the international level, Gasol is almost unstoppable.  If you double team him, he will show his unselfishness and pass the ball out to the open man. Gasol is an excellent shot blocker though he's not that tough on defense. But his size and body make him a presence in the middle who has no problem grabbing rebounds.

Even outside of his playing ability, Gasol is widely appreciated among his teammates and coaches. He is smart, coachable and ambitious and is able to play with pain and do things that many top stars would reject. He is always eager to talk with the media, to sign autographs and be pictured with the fans who have come to love him.  Pau Gasol is not only the top star of the National Team but also the basketball idol of Spain.