Marc Gasol is going to play in the Olympics for Spain (and so is Pau)

In 2016, Marc Gasol suffered a broken foot that kept him out of the Spain’s team for the Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Spain went onto win the bronze medal after playing in the gold medal game in the previous two Olympics.

Fortunately for fans of the Spanish Men’s Basketball Team, Gasol and his brother Pau are both expected to play for their country at the Olympic Games in Tokyo this summer, as they were named to the preliminary roster last week.

The Gasol brothers may be the elder statesmen of their national team with a combined five Olympic appearances, but they’re still two of the most talented players on the team. Marc started 52 games for the Los Angeles Lakers last season and Pau plays for FC Barcelona Bàsquet, one of the premier clubs in the Spanish Liga ACB. Marc lost his spot in the Lakers’ rotation when Andre Drummond signed on with the team in March, but he was effective in the limited minutes he did get towards the end of the season.

While it’s unclear what Marc’s future in Los Angeles looks like, he’s technically under contract with the Lakers for the 2021-22 season, which means a good showing at the Olympics could give him another chance to earn a starting job under Frank Vogel — and if he’s really good, he may just get to keep it this time.

As for Pau, his days of playing meaningful minutes in the NBA are likely behind him, but it’s safe to assume he’s welcome back with the Lakers in some capacity. I mean, who wouldn’t want to work with Pau? He’s the best.

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