The NBA is breaking new ground with its "NBA Europe" project, and a prominent former Laker is rumored to be involved.
The Athletic's Joe Vardon reported Monday that Pau Gasol may play a key role in the project.
"Among the 250 people assembled by NBA commissioner Adam Silver and his team at a posh London hotel just steps from the Thames River was Hall of Famer Pau Gasol, whom numerous sources said is under consideration for a top role in Silver’s European venture," Vardon said.
The project will form a new professional basketball league in Europe that includes several prominent European teams. FC Barcelona, where Gasol began and ended his pro basketball career, is rumored to be one of the teams involved.
More: ESPN NBA analyst gives Lakers' season mediocre grade
Gasol is the Vice President of Liga ACB, a pro basketball league in Spain. He could help the NBA make key inroads in Europe, but it is unknown what his exact role with the league will be.
"International sources said he is under consideration for a prominent role, but it is too soon to know what NBA Europe’s leadership structure will be — if there will be a single commissioner or multiple executives," Vardon said.
The NBA and FIBA are set to work together on the new league, which still has to be approved by the NBA's board of governors.
Gasol, a 2023 Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, played 18 NBA seasons, including six with the Lakers (2008-14). He led the Lakers to two NBA Championships (2009, 2010) and made six All-Star teams in his career.
He also played for the Grizzlies, Bulls, Spurs and Bucks before retiring from the NBA in 2019. The Lakers retired Gasol's No. 16 jersey in March 2023.
More NBA news:
- Giannis boos Bucks fans right back after they boo him
- LeBron is breaking the NBA's aging curve
- Wemby can break a Guinness World Record
- Jazz 1st-round pick had worst plus-minus in NBA history
- Joel Embiid is putting together a 'miracle'
- Joe Mazzulla answers every press conference question with same 2 words