Spanish basketball legend Pau Gasol has been awarded by the government of Catalonia with one of the region’s highest honors – the Cross of Sant Jordi.

“It is an honor to receive this distinction. I am a very lucky person. I succeeded, but from a very young age I understood that success is nothing if it is not accompanied by the act of helping others, especially the most vulnerable.

I’ve always been a team player, that’s why I want to thank all my teammates, coaches and people who have impacted my life and career,” the 41-year-old said after receiving the award. price.

Gasol joined previous FC Barcelona recipients: Epi (1996), Johan Cruyff (2006), Tomas Barris (2018) and Lionel Messi (2019).

Pau Gasol is one of the most decorated international basketball players of all time. He is a two-time NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers, six-time NBA All-Star and 2002 Rookie of the Year.

He has NBA career averages of 17 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 1,226 games.

Gasol is one of four NBA players to record more than 20,000 points, 11,000 rebounds, 3,500 assists and 1,500 blocks in a career, joining Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Temple inductees of Fame 2020 Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett.

On the international stage, he led Spain to gold medals at the 2006 World Cup and EuroBasket in 2009, 2011 and 2015.

Gasol also won silver medals at the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games and at the 2003 and 2007 EuroBasket tournaments. To complete his collection of all colors, Pau has bronze medals from the 2016 Olympic Games and the 2001 European Championships and 2017.

Additionally, the 3rd overall pick in the 2001 NBA draft is a three-time La Liga ACB champion (1999, 2001, 2021) and ACB Finals MVP (2001) with Barca.