Pau Gasol Says Idea of Playing Final Season with Lakers 'Is Attractive'

Six-time All-Star forward Pau Gasol said Tuesday he'd like to finish his career with the Los Angeles Lakers or Spanish club Barcelona.

"My intention is to play another season if the foot is OK, either in the NBA or in Europe," he told reporters in Spain. "A final season with the Lakers is attractive, finishing at Barca is attractive, but you have to see the real possibilities and see what situation would be best for the circumstances of the moment."

Gasol hasn't played since March 2019 because of the foot injury.

The 39-year-old Barcelona native, who played for his hometown team before getting picked No. 3 overall in the 2001 NBA draft, explained a return to either of his former clubs would help in his quest to play for Spain at the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

"I'm feeling good. I've had more time to recover," he told the Spanish media. "When I can start running and jumping, I will have a lot more information to know for sure if the foot and the bone are consolidated for me to be playing professional basketball again."

Gasol added he'll likely make a final decision about his future by September or October.

The big man, who's also played for the Memphis Grizzlies, Chicago Bulls, San Antonio Spurs and Milwaukee Bucks during his 18-year NBA career, won back-to-back NBA titles with the Lakers in 2009 and 2010.

He won those championships alongside Kobe Bryant, who died in a January helicopter crash. In May, the Spanish star told Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times he recently watched Game 7 of the 2010 Finals against the Boston Celtics:

"I got emotional too, especially towards the end and hearing Kobe speak when he got the MVP trophy and how he acknowledged me. With him being gone, I got really emotional. It just really meant a lot to me. It's one of those things with time that you learn to appreciate things and value things more, what you have gone through, what you have achieved, people you have had in your life, people you have shared special things with."

The Lakers are back in title contention with a roster led by LeBron James and Anthony Davis. If healthy, Gasol could provide some valuable frontcourt depth during a farewell season next year.

If his foot prevents him from returning to the court, he's already built a resume that makes him a virtual Hall of Fame lock.