Before his eventual move to the San Antonio Spurs, Spaniard Pau Gasol revealed that he once turned down the chance to play for Gregg Popovich’s side.
Speaking at an sponsorship event before he left for Texas, Gasol revealed that he timing was not right but now with Tim Duncan retired, he felt the move was the right one.
“Two years ago I declined the option of going to the Spurs, explained Gasol. “Now it was the right time to go to San Antonio.
“Popovich has he told me that I will contribute a lot and along with LaMarcus Aldridge, without Tim Duncan any more, I will be one of the leaders of the team in the front line.”
The idea of being a possible second fiddle to Duncan didn’t sit right with Gasol, considered one of the best international players in the NBA and Eurobasket 2015 MVP.
As for the apparent rumours circling around that the 36-year-old would look to end his playing career back home for Barcelona, they were quickly dismissed.
“While still playing in the NBA, my chances of returning to FC Barcelona are reduced,” Gasol said.
“It’s a nice idea, but becoming less and less possible. My hope of playing for the national team remains the same, evaluating it year by year and analyzing how my body adapts to the workload.”