Pau Gasol’s Bid to Make the Olympics Following a Lengthy Injury to be Focus of New Docuseries

Pau Gasol’s story is getting the Hollywood treatment…

The 40-year-old former NBA star’s bid to make the Olympics after a lengthy injury lay off will be the focus of an upcoming docuseries.

Pau Gasol

The untitled 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.

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.

In February, Gasol re-signed with FC Barcelona—where his professional career began more than 20 years ago—as he prepares to chase an elusive Olympic gold medal at the COVID-19 postponed 2020 Tokyo Games 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 deal with new family commitments.

The four-episode documentary is directed by Oriol Bosch and produced by PG Productions, RTG Features and THINK450, the content and partnership engine of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA). Talking heads include legendary NBA coach Phil Jackson.

The series, which has been in production since 2019, is slated to release in 2021.

Worldwide rights minus Spain (Amazon swooped on those earlier this year) are currently available with U.S.-based RTG Features handling sales.

 

Christina Aguilera Gives Stirring Performance of “Ave Maria” at Kobe Bryant Memorial

Christina Aguilera has celebrated the life of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna.

The 39-year-old half-Ecuadorian American took the stage at Los Angeles’ Staples Center on Monday to deliver an emotional performance of “Ave Maria” at the Celebration of Life ceremony for the late NBA great and his 13-year-old daughter,who tragically died in a helicopter crash nearly a month ago.

Christina Aguilera

Aguilera performed the iconic song in Italian while her backing string arrangement pulled on the heartstrings of the memorial’s star-studded audience, including Beyoncé, who performed the powerful duo of “XO” and “Halo” at the start of the event. 

Aguilera wore a black suit jacket with lace-detailed sleeves and wide-legged trousers while letting her voice fill the arena, Bryant’s home for nearly 20 years as a member of the LA Lakers.