Lakers News: Pau Gasol's No. 16 Jersey Will Be Retired by Los Angeles

The Los Angeles Lakers are planning to retire the No. 16 jersey of Pau Gasol following his retirement.

Gasol, 41, officially announced his playing days are over Tuesday, saying: "I'm going to retire from professional basketball. It's a difficult decision after so many years, but it's a decision that I really thought over."

The Lakers tweeted the following in celebration of Gasol's career:

Gasol spent parts of seven seasons with the franchise, earning three All-Star nods and two NBA championships during his tenure.

All told, the 7-foot Spaniard appeared in 429 regular-season games for the Lakers and averaged 17.7 points, 9.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.4 blocks while shooting 52.2 percent from the field.

He also played in 93 postseason games as a Laker, averaging 16.8 points, 10.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.9 blocks while shooting 51.9 percent from the floor.

Gasol was the main complement to superstar guard Kobe Bryant throughout his L.A. tenure and played a massive role in the Lakers' back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010.

The six-time All-Star also played for the Memphis Grizzlies, Chicago Bulls, San Antonio Spurs and Milwaukee Bucks in an NBA career that spanned 18 seasons.

While Gasol has not played in the NBA since 2018-19, he played professionally in Spain for Barcelona last season, and he represented Spain at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo this year.

Gasol is undoubtedly one of the best international players to ever step foot on an NBA court, making him a strong candidate to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in the near future.

He is also an all-time Lakers great, which is why it is fitting that his number will be immortalized along with those of Bryant, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O'Neal, among others.