Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
The NBA is seemingly exploring the idea of establishing its own league on the continent of Europe. The NBA’s commissioner Adam Silver along with FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis recently proposed a new 16-team league, with 12 permanent teams and four more spots available to play into.
A Los Angeles Lakers legend and one of the greatest European-born basketball players ever has reportedly emerged as a favorite to become the CEO of the NBA Europe league. According to Eurohoops, former Lakers big man Pau Gasol could very well be proposed the position of CEO.
“Pau Gasol, a Hall of Famer and European basketball legend, is strongly considered as the favorite to be proposed the position of CEO of the NBA Europe league, Eurohoops has exclusively learned,” Eurohoops reported.
Gasol is a Spanish native, as he was born in the city of Barcelona all the way back in the year 1980.
Some folks might not remember that Gasol played in the EuroLeague before he was selected with a top-three pick in the 2001 NBA Draft. Across six EuroLeague contests with FC Barcelona in the 2000-01 campaign, he averaged 18.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 0.7 blocked shots per game. FC Barcelona stands out as one of the more prominent professional basketball teams in Europe, and there are a number of former NBA players on the current roster, including forward Justin Anderson and big man Willy Hernangomez.
Gasol spent six-plus seasons of his NBA career with the storied Lakers franchise and earned three All-Star nods as well as three selections an All-NBA team in that time. Lakers legend Kobe Bryant was also Gasol’s teammate for the entirety of his time in Los Angeles.
The Spaniard helped the Lakers win back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010 and was arguably the team’s second-best player behind only Bryant in both of those championship runs. He averaged 18-plus points and 10-plus rebounds per contest in the 2009 NBA Playoffs and 2010 NBA Playoffs.
Considering Gasol’s European ties along with the incredible amount of success he enjoyed playing basketball at the NBA level, it’s easy to see why he’s reportedly the favorite to become the CEO of the NBA Europe league. Hopefully, he will officially be offered the position sooner rather than later, but it’s still unclear when the proposed league would start up.
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