Story by Jacob Holmes
Pau Gasol of the Chicago Bulls has been awarded Spain’s Princess of Asturias prize for sports for his performances with both the Bulls and Spain.
Gasol has been playing for both the NBA and the Spanish national team since the start of his career in 1998. After playing for the Memphis Grizzlies and the Los Angeles Lakers, where he won two NBA Championships, Gasol signed with Chicago prior to the 2014-2015 season.
In early 2015, Gasol scored a career-high 46 points against the Milwaukee Bucks. In April, Gasol became the league leader in double-doubles for the season, scoring his 54th against the Atlanta Hawks.
With Spain, Gasol has had much success, winning the 2006 FIBA World Championship and the 2009 and 2011 EuroBasket tournaments. Gasol has also appeared in the Summer Olympics, being the highest-scoring player in 2004, and winning silver medals in both the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games. In 2014, Gasol was named to the All-tournament team of the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Gasol won the award along with his brother Marc, who currently plays for the Grizzlies.
