Posted Jun 1 2010 9:28PM
MADRID (AP) -- Los Angeles Lakers center Pau Gasol has decided not to play for Spain at the world basketball championships this summer, choosing to rest up from three years of nearly nonstop play.
After practice at the Lakers' training complex Tuesday, Gasol said he simply needs a break after his third straight trip to the NBA finals, which begin Thursday against Boston.
"It was hard," Gasol said of his decision. "We accomplished many great things as a team, and it was always a fun time for me. ... But I have to understand how much basketball I've been playing over the last three years, and how much I want to give to the Lakers over the next several years. I know if I continue to do [both], my body is going to break down."
Since the beginning of the 2007-08 season with Memphis before his trade to Los Angeles, Gasol has played in 272 NBA games -- and the strain is catching up to him. The 7-foot center missed the Lakers' first 11 games this season with a strained right hamstring, and he sat out six games in January with a strained left hamstring.
Gasol, who turns 30 next month, also hopes his absence will allow Spain's younger players to fill major roles on the national team.
Spain will defend its title in the championship in Turkey from Aug. 29-Sept. 12, playing in Group D alongside France, New Zealand, Lithuania, Lebanon and Canada. Gasol, also an Olympic star in Beijing, helped Spain win its first world title four years ago in Japan.
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