Pau Gasol debuts in Barcelona return in 1st game in 2 years

BARCELONA, Spain — Pau Gasol played his first game in two years on Friday after returning to Barcelona, the team where he started his career two decades ago.

The former two-time NBA champion with the L.A. Lakers had not played since 2019, when he made his last appearance for the Milwaukee Bucks.

Hobbled since then with a nagging foot injury, the 40-year-old center decided to come back home in hopes of reviving his career in a second stint with Barcelona.

Gasol started the Euroleague home game against Bayern Munich. He scored nine points on four-for-nine shooting and grabbed four rebounds in 13 minutes.

Bayern won 82-72.

Due to health restrictions in the pandemic, there were no fans in the stadium in Barcelona.


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