The NBA has been in offseason mode for over a month, but that doesn’t mean fans have had nothing to watch. The 2026 FIFA World Cup began on June 11, and concluded on July 19 with Spain defeating Lionel Messi and Argentina. Los Angeles Lakers Hall of Famer Pau Gasol was in attendance at the Final to watch his home country win their second World Cup and first since 2010.
Gasol is one of the world’s most famous Spanish athletes. The Barcelona native rose to prominence when he was just 18 years old for FC Barcelona, and has one of. the all-time great resumes of any international player. The 2006 FIBA World Cup MVP and two-time FIBA EuroBasket MVP celebrated Spain’s victory on his social media, translated from Spanish to English.
“It’s no coincidence. It’s the result of years of work, of growing together, of building a team that never stops believing,” Gasol said on social media. “From the tenacity, courage, and unity of a squad that trusts until the very last minute that, even if the ball isn’t going in, it will end up going in. And it did.”
Gasol has always been there to root for Spain in international competitions, whether that be in soccer or basketball. This Spanish team, led by one of the deepest rosters the world stage has ever seen, was a powerhouse throughout the month-long tournament. They never trailed and finished with seven wins and one draw in their opener against Cape Verde, only conceding one goal the entire way.
That is the type of greatness that Gasol was a major part of during his playing career. Gasol won three Liga ACB championships in four years from 1998-2001, the FIBA World Cup in 2006, three EuroBasket wins in 2009, 2011 and 2015 and three Olympic medals with silver in 2008 and 2012, and bronze in 2016.
Confusion surrounding Lakers assistant GM search?
While the FIFA World Cup was concluding on the East Coast of the United States, the Lakers were dealing with some confusion on the West Coast. At the beginning of the offseason, Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka spoke about expanding the front office with the hiring of two assistant GMs being a priority. The team would go on to hire Rohan Ramadas as their assistant GM of strategy and data systems, being in charge of the analytics department. However, the second assistant GM position still remains unfilled.
This second position would be in charge of the scouting and player development departments, an extremely important position, but the franchise still has been unable to land on the right person. And some people who were interested in the role were reportedly confused about the interview process.
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