Pau Gasol
A skilled and graceful 7-foot Spaniard who brought finesse to the NBA paint and delivered two championships as Kobe Bryant's perfect partner with the Lakers.
Born 1980 (age 46)·Spanish basketball player·Birthday: July 6·Generation X
Biography
Pau Gasol arrived in the NBA as a curiosity—a towering European big man with guard-like skills who was supposed to be too soft for the league's interior wars. He quickly proved everyone wrong. Winning Rookie of the Year with the Memphis Grizzlies, he established himself as a nightly double-double threat with a feathery touch. But his legacy was forged in Los Angeles. Traded to the Lakers in 2008, he became the ideal complementary star for Kobe Bryant, his high-post passing and scoring touch unlocking the triangle offense and transforming the team into a title contender. Together, they won back-to-back championships in 2009 and 2010, with Gasol's performances in the Finals silencing any remaining doubts about his toughness. Beyond his NBA success, he carried Spanish basketball to its golden age, leading them to a World Championship and multiple Olympic medals.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Pau was born in 1980, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Pau Was Born
The biggest hits of 1980
#1 Movie
The Empire Strikes Back
Best Picture
Ordinary People
#1 TV Show
Dallas
Pau's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1980Born
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1985Started school
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1993Became a teenager
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
1996Could drive
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
1998Could vote
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2001Turned 21
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2010Turned 30
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 40
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 46 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won two consecutive NBA championships in 2009 and 2010 as a cornerstone of the Los Angeles Lakers.
- Became the first non-American player to win the NBA Rookie of the Year award in 2002 with the Memphis Grizzlies.
- Led the Spanish national team to its first-ever FIBA World Cup gold medal in 2006, earning tournament MVP honors.
- Selected to six NBA All-Star games over his 18-season career.
- Won three Olympic medals with Spain: two silvers (2008, 2012) and one bronze (2016).
Did You Know?
He is a licensed medical doctor, having completed his pre-med studies in Spain before his NBA career took off.
His younger brother, Marc Gasol, also became an NBA All-Star and champion, and they faced each other in the 2015 NBA playoffs.
He was an avid reader and chess player, often bringing books on road trips.
He was traded from the Memphis Grizzlies to the Los Angeles Lakers for his brother Marc's draft rights and other players.
“You have to be able to center yourself, to let all of your emotions go. Don't ever forget that you play with your soul as well as your body.”
