For centuries, Spain’s most intoxicating export was its sherry. That changed with the emergence of Pau Gasol, a unique basketball talent from the fiercely independent region of Catalonia. A seven footer who can dribble, drive, pass and shoot with either hand, he made the quantum leap from international curiosity to NBA All-Star in 2006 while leading the Memphis Grizzlies to their most impressive season ever. This is his story…

GROWING UP

Pau Gasol was born in Barcelona, Spain on July 6, 1980. (Click here for today's sports birthdays.) His father, Augusti, was a hospital administrator and his mother, Marisa, was a doctor. Both parents played professional basketball in Spain.

Pau hoped to follow his mother into medicine, but ended up filling his father’s enormous shoes. Indeed, he and younger brothers Marc and Adria spent more and more time at their dad’s hoops games and practices. Pau began playing organized hoops around the age of seven.

The organized youth leagues in Europe are starkly different than the city playgrounds and rural gymnasiums of the U.S., where no-blood, no-foul is typically the rule. In Spain, players were whistled for anything beyond incidental contact. Thus, big men are not usually skilled in the art of muscling up shots from the post or banging under the boards.

That did not apply to Pau, who usually handled point guard duties for his teams. Although he was tall and skinny, there was no inkling that he would one day stand seven feet tall, so he was developing the mindset of a backcourt player. To this day, Pau credits his days as a floor general with his widely praised passing skills.

Pau got the basketball bug big-time in the summer of 1992, when the Olympics came to town. Barcelona was a buzz with the U.S. Dream Team, starring Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. Around the age of 13, Pau began to get some meat on his bones and gained confidence in the paint. He was now well over six feet, and the decision was made to move him to the forward position.

In 1998, Pau entered his first year of medical school at the University of Barcelona. That same year, he became the star of FC Barcelona’s junior squad, leading them to victory at the Albert Schweitzer Tournament and the European Junior Championships. It was time to put his medical career on hold and get serious about basketball.

In 2000-01, Pau established himself as one of the finest players in Europe, averaging 11.3 points and 5.2 rebounds in just under 24 minutes per game. Still just 20 years old and now towering over opponents at an even seven feet tall, Pau was now being eyed hungrily by NBA scouts.

Was he good enough to be a high lottery pick? In three years in the FC Barcelona organization, Pau had became known as one of the the top all-around players in the ACB, Spain’s top basketball league. His numbers didn’t blow anyone away, but his team outlook and unselfishness were just what the NBA was looking for in a championship-caliber support player.

ON THE RISE

Many compared Pau to Toni Kukoc, another big man who could handle and shoot the ball, though the Spaniard was clearly a superior athlete. The two had something else in common: agent Herb Rudoy. Rudoy’s job was to disentangle Pau from the final season of his Barcelona contract, which would require a $2.5 million buyout. Since buyouts over $350,000 counted against an NBA team’s salary cap, Rudoy had to find a team that was willing to foot the bill, or at least to draft his client high enough so he could pay that sum himself.

Billy Knight, GM of the Memphis Grizzlies, thought Pau had incredible more potential—perhaps even All-Star skills. When the Atlanta Hawks grabbed him with the third pick in the draft, Knight engineered a deal that brought him to Memphis, unloading the team’s signature player, Shareef Abdur-Rahim. The Grizzlies also took Duke’s Shane Battier with their first-round pick. Along with these two, the memphis starting five would include flashy Jason Williams, Lorenzen Wright and veteran Grant Long.

Pau confirmed Knight’s suspicion from the get-go, scoring 27 in his first NBA start and racking up points like a veteran all year long. He also created all kinds of matchup miseries for opponents. Pau finished the campaign first among all rookies in scoring, rebounds, blocks and field goal percentage, leading the team with 17.6 points per game and 8.9 rebounds.

Although his defense left much to be desired, Pau proved an adept shot-blocker swatting balls at the rate of 2.1 per game, and recording a pair of seven-block performances. His quickness, long arms and anticipation made him a player who could force opponents to rethink or reconfigure their shots around the rim.

The Grizzlies won a respectable 23 games under coach Sidney Lowe, and Pau was named NBA Rookie of the Year. He and Battier both made the NBA’s All-Rookie First Team. It marked just the third time in 20 years that teammates had shared this honor.

Pau proved his rookie performance was no fluke by bettering almost all of his stats in 2002-03. He averaged 19.0 points per game and finished in the Top 10 in shooting with a 51.0% mark. And for the second year in a row, he did not miss a game, starting the season with five straight 20-point contests. His play did little for the Grizzlies, however, as the team went 28-54

Though his numbers dipped slightly in 2003-04, Pau continued to be the team’s most consistent scorer. In fact, he reached double figures in all but two games. The team responded with its best season yet, posting a franchise record 50 wins and securing a berth in the playoffs. But as the regular campaign drew to a close and the Grizzlies prepared to enter the playoffs, Pau strained his right arch and sat out the final four games. In the opening round against the San Antonio Spurs, he seemed out of sync at times, and Tim Duncan & Company rolled over Memphis in four games.

That summer, Pau joined the Spanish national team for the Olympics in Athens. Spain rolled through its pool with a 5-0 record, but lost to the United States in the quarterfinals and finished sixth. Pau ended the tournament as its leading scorer with 22.4 points and was also the top shot-blocker.

Pau re-upped with the Grizzlies prior to the 2004-05 campaign, pulling down max money—six years at $86 million. Rather than relaxing, he started to look for ways he could reach the next level. Like most European players, he was reluctant to seize control of an NBA team. Assistant Mike Fratello pointed to Dirk Nowitzki, who was spreading his wings in Dallas, and urged Pau to follow his lead.

MAKING HIS MARK

Pau began to see the Grizzlies through the prism of his own play. On nights when he was feeling it, he demanded the ball and scored. As defenses collapsed around him, he dished to open teammates. In games when the shot wasn’t working, he devoted more energy to defense and rebounding. One way or another, he was determined to produce an A game every time out. Even when coach Hubie Brown resigned and handed the team to Fratello, Pau barely missed a beat.

Unfortunately, this new approach was sidetracked when Pau hit the injured list at the end of January and missed more than 20 games. The Grizzlies learned how to survive without him—so well, in fact, that he had to reestablish his role in the final three weeks before the playoffs. Veterans Bonzi Wells and Williams, who picked up the offense in Pau’s absence, resisted the idea of letting him back in, and it cost them in the post-season.This time it was the Phoenix Suns who dropped Memphis in four, and again Pau was only a sporadic contributor.

Wells and Williams were jettisoned after the season, as the team looked to replace them with veterans who would more readily accept a supporting role. Damon Stoudamire, Eddie Jones and Bobby Jackson came in to provide leadership. These players let Pau know in training camp that he was the man. The Memphis coaching staff concurred, designing most of the team’s set offensive plays to go through him. After Stoudemire went down with a bad knee, Memphis picked up Chucky Atkins. He and Pau truly clicked.

Pau went into his fifth NBA campaign with a new look—a Grizzly Adams beard that completely obscured his chiseled features. He said he wanted to look older, but admitted later that he was too lazy to shave over the summer, when for the first time he decided to opt out of playing for the Spanish national team.

Teammates noticed a new attitude, too. Pau was harder and tougher. Once considered soft around the league, he quickly dispelled these notions with some well-placed retaliatory elbows and a fresh determination not to back down.

Wright credited the change is Pau to the whiskers. But more likely it was the absence of his nagging plantar’s facetious, which was cured with three months of rest. Whatever the case, the NBA quickly realized one of its most intriguing players had evolved and was now approaching the elite level. The NBA zebras saw this, too. Pau got hacked as much as any Grizzly, but only during his breakout season did he start to hear the quick whistles normally reserved for the league’s marquee stars.

This was confirmed by Pau’s selection to the All-Star Game, the first time a Griz had been so honored dating back 11 years to the days when the franchise played in Vancouver. A few weeks later he reeled off 36 points, 33 points and 44 points in consecutive games against the New York Knicks, Charlotte Bobcats and Seattle Supersonics. He finished the year with new career highs in points (20.4), rebounds (8.9) and assists (4.6). Other offensive contributors included Battier, Jones, Stoudamire, Jackson and Mike Miller, who was named NBA Sixth Man of the Year.

Despite Pau’s scoring prowess, the Grizzlies spelled success with defense. With perimeter defenders Battier and Jones harassing outside shooters and Pau blocking shots in the middle, opponents were often forced to settle for tricky mid-range jumpers. As a result, Memphis finished the year with the fewest points allowed and second-lowest shooting percentage allowed.

Although it may take a couple of years—and another impact player—before the Grizzlies can eclipse West powers like the Mavs and Spurs, with Pau they have a budding superstar to build around, and a man who creates some of the most maddening match-up problems in the NBA.

PAU THE PLAYER

Looks can be deceiving in Pau’s case. His rangy body masks superior athletic skills, especially for a man his size. Always a solid scorer, he has learned the NBA well enough to blend mind and matter and contribute in any number of winning ways. That has made him one of the league’s biggest match-up nightmares, along with Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett. He can beat his man off the dribble with either hand, and can shoot with either hand, too.

Centers are worthless trying to defend him, and most big forwards have a hard time keeping him under control because of his quick moves and reliable jumper. Put a two-guard on Pau and he starts posting up right away. He has become more comfortable in the post in general, and referees know this. He now gets the whistles he begged for his first four seasons.

One overlooked part of Pau’s game is his decision-making. Since the Grizzlies began triggering their offensive sets with the ball in his hands, he has improved tremendously in this area. He reads the floor from the high post, and rarely puts the ball up if he senses a teammate with a better chance to score.

Another change in Pau’s game is his stamina. He has learned to pace himself through 48 minutes, as evidenced by his continued improvement after the 2006 All-Star break. Pau is throwing down power slams where in years past it was all he could do to strain for a tip-in or layup.

Defensively, Pau has strengthened his game. He has a better understanding of the Memphis team defense, and finally has accepted the fact that there are some nights when he will be in a street fight trying to control another club’s star.

© Copyright 2006 Black Book Partners, LLC. All rights reserved.