Production is underway on a four-episode docuseries centering on top basketball player Pau Gasol, Variety can reveal exclusively. The series chronicles Gasol, the two-time NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers and six-time NBA All-Star, as he winds down his professional career.
The as yet untitled series is directed by Oriol Bosch (“Andrés Iniesta: The Unexpected Hero”), and produced by PG Productions, RTG Features and THINK450, the content arm of the National Basketball Players Assn. (NBPA). PG Productions and RTG Features are handling sales.
Gasol’s last NBA game was in March 2019. In May of that year, he underwent surgery to repair a stress fracture in his left foot and has been working to get back on the court ever since. Last month, Gasol re-signed with FC Barcelona—where his professional career began over 20 years ago—as he prepares to chase an elusive Olympic gold medal in Tokyo this summer.
The series will show how an elite athlete says goodbye to the game they know and love, battling through the physical scars, emotional challenges, personal legacy, as well as new family commitments.
Gasol, one of the most famous Spanish athletes of all time, rivaled only by Rafael Nadal, was born in Barcelona and started his career in that city before leaving for the NBA in 2001. In addition to his storied NBA career, he’s a two-time Liga ACB champion with FC Barcelona, and has also won two Olympic silver medals and a bronze medal as a member of the Spanish national team.
“There comes a time when a player’s professional career must come to an end,” Gasol said. “It won’t be a happy time for me, but you have to be prepared for it as there will be a huge gap that I will have to fill. Hopefully this series helps shine a light on my state of mind as I contemplate what’s next.”
The series, which has been in production since 2019, is expected to release this fall.
RTG Features is developing the scripted series “The Line” alongside Charles Barkley’s Round Mound Media, and they are in post-production on the docuseries “Promiseland,” featuring reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Ja Morant. They also have the documentary films “The House That Rob Built” and “Gap Year” in release on digital platforms worldwide, and are in post-production on an upcoming documentary on basketball coach John Thompson and his Georgetown University program.
