Six years after Pau Gasol’s jump to the NBA, he received his friend Juan Carlos Navarro in Memphis. Together they began the season with the Grizzlies jersey, but Pau ended it with the Lakers, protagonist in February 2008 of one of the most notorious transfers of the campaign
Pau Gasol and Juan Carlos Navarro. Juan Carlos Navarro and Pau Gasol. A star couple that goes beyond the courts but that, on them, has been a reference in the history of Spanish basketball. Friends and teammates at Barça in various categories until reaching the first team, their paths parted ways in 2001 but got back together in 2007. In the NBA.
As Navarro’s agent acknowledged at the time, Pau’s efforts from Memphis were one of the keys to Juan Carlos’ move to the Grizzlies. In this way, both met again in a club team after Pau left for the NBA in 2001, reliving, yes, his summers with the National Team. “I’m happy for him, but much more because he plays with me,” said Pau.
For their debut together, Pau bought 500 tickets for the game against the San Antonio Spurs, the defending champions, which he distributed among many other fans in the city. The game was won by the visitors by a tight 101-104 and Navarro, in his first 16 NBA minutes, signed 9 points. Pau contributed 22 points, 3 rebounds and 2 blocks.
Navarro ended the season with the Memphis Grizzlies, after which he decided to return to the ranks of FC Barcelona, but he did not complete it all with Gasol, since in February he was transferred to the Los Angeles Lakers. Of course, in summer they met again to wear the Spain shirt, with which they won a brilliant silver medal at the Beijing Olympics.
In his NBA adventure, Navarro played 82 games, almost 26 minutes on average, and records of 10.9 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.
2023-07-16 07:46:00
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