Lakers reportedly plan to retire Pau Gasol's No. 16 jersey
Six-time NBA All-Star Pau Gasol announced his retirement from basketball Tuesday, ending a career that spanned more than two decades.
"I'm going to retire from professional basketball," Gasol said, according to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN). "It's a difficult decision after so many years, but it's a decision that I really thought over."
Gasol, who spent seven seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, will reportedly have his No. 16 jersey retired by the franchise, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania.
Gasol won two titles with the Lakers in 2009 and 2010 and averaged 17 points and 9.2 rebounds in 1,226 games with five NBA teams, including the Memphis Grizzlies, Chicago Bulls, San Antonio Spurs and Milwaukee Bucks.
The 41-year-old last played in the NBA in 2019 and recently competed at this summer's Tokyo Olympics. He announced his farewell from international basketball in August after Spain fell to the United States in the Olympic quarterfinals.
Gasol won a world championship title with Spain in 2006 and won European titles in 2009, 2011 and 2015. In addition, he won silver medals with Spain at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics as well as a bronze medal at the 2016 Games.
The Lakers have retired the following numbers:
- Nos. 8 and 24: Kobe Bryant
- No. 13: Wilt Chamberlain
- No. 22: Elgin Baylor
- No. 25: Gail Goodrich
- No. 32: Magic Johnson
- No. 33: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
- No. 34: Shaquille O'Neal
- No. 42: James Worthy
- No. 44: Jerry West
- No. 52: Jamaal Wilkes
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