Pau Gasol, the best-known Catalan basketball player in the world and with the best sports career in history, now has the Gold Medal for Sports Merit which the Barcelona Full Council unanimously decided to award him in April 2022.

Gasol played in the NBA for 18 seasons, where he was twice part of a championship-winning team and took part in six All-Star events. As an FC Barcelona player he won three ACB leagues and two domestic cups (Copa del Rey) in his two spells with the club. He also won the Basketball World Championship in 2006 with the Spanish national team, as well as three Olympic medals, and was a Eurobasket winner on three occasions.

Besides his sports merits and successes, Gasol has demonstrated great social commitment and exemplary conduct on and off the court. He is currently a member of the Athletes’ Commission with the COI and a UNICEF Global Champion for Nutrition and Zero Obesity among children. He and his brother Marc set up the Gasol Foundation, promoting healthy habits, particularly to prevent and combat child obesity.