Pau Gasol

Pau Gasol began playing professional basketball as a teenager for FC Barcelona Basquet in 1996. Spain’s celebrated club team saw tremendous upside in the rail-thin prospect who was more focused on a future in medicine than in sports. Gasol made an immediate impression with his unusual skill set for a big man. He could post up, pass, dunk, rebound, and shoot. Soon he was on the draft board of every NBA team. The Atlanta Hawks selected Gasol third overall in the 2001 NBA Draft, making him the highest pick from Europe at that time. Gasol then became the first non-American to win NBA Rookie of the Year. Midway through his seventh season in the League, the Los Angeles Lakers traded for Gasol in a deal that sent his brother Marc to the Memphis Grizzlies. Over the next three seasons, the Lakers made three consecutive Finals appearances and won back-to-back titles. The six-time NBA All-Star won three medals in Olympic competition with the Spanish national team and was a four-time European Player of the Year.