Numb3rs
Genre	Police procedural Crime drama Thriller
Created by	Nicolas Falacci Cheryl Heuton
Starring	Rob Morrow David Krumholtz Judd Hirsch Alimi Ballard Sabrina Lloyd Dylan Bruno Diane Farr Navi Rawat Sophina Brown Aya Sumika Peter MacNicol
Country of origin	United States
Language(s)	English
No. of seasons	6
No. of episodes	118 (List of episodes)
Production
Producer(s)	Ridley and Tony Scott
Location(s)	Los Angeles, Pasadena[disambiguation needed ]
Running time	43 minutes
Production company(s)	The Barry Schindel Company Scott Free Productions
Distributor	CBS Television Studios
Broadcast
Original channel	CBS
Picture format	480i (SDTV) 1080i (HDTV)
Original run	January 23, 2005 (2005-01-23) – March 12, 2010 (2010-03-12)
External links
Website

Numb3rs ( /ˈnʌmbərz/; labeled NUMB3RS) is an American television drama which premiered on CBS on January 23, 2005, and concluded on March 12, 2010. The series was created by Nicolas Falacci and Cheryl Heuton, and follows FBI Special Agent Don Eppes (Rob Morrow) and his mathematical genius brother, Charlie Eppes (David Krumholtz), who helps Don solve crimes for the FBI. Brothers Ridley and Tony Scott produced Numb3rs; its production companies are the Scott brothers' Scott Free Productions, CBS Television Studios (originally Paramount Television, and later CBS Paramount Television).

The show focuses equally on the relationships among Don Eppes, his brother Charlie Eppes, and their father, Alan Eppes (Judd Hirsch), and on the brothers' efforts to fight crime, normally in Los Angeles. A typical episode begins with a crime, which is subsequently investigated by a team of FBI agents led by Don and mathematically modeled by Charlie, with the help of Larry Fleinhardt (Peter MacNicol) and Amita Ramanujan (Navi Rawat). The insights provided by Charlie's mathematics were always in some way crucial to solving the crime.

The series was the most popular show airing on Friday evenings throughout its first four seasons. Its sixth season premiered September 25, 2009.^[1] CBS cancelled Numb3rs on May 18, 2010.^[2]

[edit] Cast and characters

The show revolved around three intersecting groups of characters: the FBI, mathematicians at CalSci (the fictitious California Institute of Science), and the Eppes family.

• Professor Charlie Eppes is a mathematical genius who consults for the FBI and NSA. He teaches at CalSci. He is portrayed by David Krumholtz.
• Don Eppes, Charlie's older brother, is the lead FBI agent. He is portrayed by Rob Morrow.
• Professor Larry Fleinhardt is a theoretical physicist and cosmologist at CalSci. Charlie's former mentor and now best friend, he also consults frequently for the FBI. He is portrayed by Peter MacNicol.
• Alan Eppes is a former L.A. City planner, a widower, and the father of both Charlie and Don Eppes. Alan Eppes lives in a historic bungalow furnished with period Arts and Crafts furniture. He is portrayed by Judd Hirsch.
• Professor Amita Ramanujan is a mathematician at CalSci and an FBI consultant. She dates Charlie Eppes and the couple became engaged at the beginning of season six. Charlie was her thesis advisor. She is portrayed by Navi Rawat. Her name is a reference to Srinivasa Iyengar Ramanujan the Indian mathematician.
• Megan Reeves is an FBI behavioral specialist. She was involved romantically with Larry Fleinhardt and left the FBI to counsel troubled young women. She was portrayed by Diane Farr.
• David Sinclair is an FBI field agent and was recently made Don's second-in-charge and promoted to supervisor. He is portrayed by Alimi Ballard.
• Colby Granger is an FBI field agent. Once thought to have betrayed his colleagues, he is now back in their good graces and confidence. He is portrayed by Dylan Bruno.
• Liz Warner is an FBI agent, formerly involved with Agent Eppes. She is portrayed by Aya Sumika.
• Nikki Betancourt is an FBI agent with four years' experience in the LAPD and a law degree. She is portrayed by Sophina Brown.

Temporary characters on the show were often named after famous mathematicians. For example, in the episode "In Plain Sight" (2x8), one of the criminals is named Rolle and Charlie's father mentions a meeting with a man named Robert Peterson.

[edit] Episodes

[edit] Season 1

The first season run of the show aired between January 23, 2005, and May 13, 2005, at 10:00 p.m. on Fridays. It sees the start of the working relationship between Los Angeles' FBI department and Charlie Eppes. The main FBI agents are Charlie's brother, Don Eppes, and Terry Lake, as well as David Sinclair. Don and Charlie's father, Alan Eppes, provides emotional support for the pair, while Professor Larry Fleinhardt and doctoral student Amita Ramanujan provide mathematical support and insights to Charlie. Season One was a half-season, producing only 13 episodes. Sabrina Lloyd played Terry Lake, an agent in this season; she was later replaced by Diane Farr, who played Megan Reeves.

[edit] Season 2

The second season run of the show aired between September 23, 2005, and May 19, 2006, again at 10:00 p.m. on Fridays. Season Two sees several changes to Don's FBI team: Terry Lake is reassigned to Washington and two new members join Don and David Sinclair: Megan Reeves and Colby Granger. Charlie is challenged on one of his long-standing pieces of mathematical work and also starts work on a new theory, Cognitive Emergence Theory. Larry sells his home and assumes a nomadic lifestyle, while he becomes romantically involved with Megan. Amita receives an offer for an assistant professor position at Harvard University, but is plagued by doubt as her relationship with Charlie is challenged and her career is in upheaval. Alan begins work and dating again, although he struggles with the loss of his wife, and both he and Charlie dream of her.

[edit] Season 3

Numb3rs was renewed for a third season,^[3] which began airing in North America and Canada at 10:00 p.m. on Friday September 22, 2006, and ended on May 18, 2007. Charlie and Amita intensify their relationship, as do Larry and Megan, especially after Megan's kidnapping. Amita has troubles adjusting in her new role as a CalSci professor, and Larry announces his leave of absence — he will be on the International Space Station for six months, which greatly distresses Charlie. Charlie and his colleagues are troubled by Dr. Mildred Finch, the newly appointed Chair of the CalSci Physics, Mathematics, and Astronomy Division, whom they learn has begun dating Alan. Meanwhile, Don dates Agent Liz Warner and questions his ethics and self-worth, and receives counseling. Charlie sees Don's therapist and the two understand one another more. Despite Don's concerns, Alan engages in some FBI consulting with his knowledge of engineering, and Larry returns from the space station, disillusioned. The finale wraps up with a revelation that Colby was actually a double agent for the Chinese.

Noticeable changes from previous seasons include the removal of the opening credit sequence (credits are now done during the first segment of the show), the absence of Peter MacNicol's character for much of the season, and the absence of Diane Farr's character for a few episodes. Peter MacNicol appeared in the first eleven episodes before leaving for the television show 24, but returned to Numb3rs for the 21st episode of season 3 ("The Art of Reckoning"). His character's absence was written into the show by having him become a Payload Specialist on the International Space Station. Diane Farr, pregnant for most of the season, left the show for maternity leave in episode 18 ("Democracy"); her character's absence is explained as a special assignment to the Department of Justice.

[edit] Season 4

The season premiere aired on September 28, 2007, in the same time slot as in previous seasons, 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time.^[4] Because of the writer's strike, only 12 episodes were initially produced. However, once the strike ended, CBS announced the show's return April 4, 2008, with six episodes.^[5] The season ended on May 16, 2008.

As this season starts, Colby Granger escapes from jail, and is revealed to be a triple agent. He then rejoins the team. Don and Liz break up halfway through this season, after Liz has trouble with Don's trust issues. Amita's parents come to visit, which becomes a secondary theme throughout most of the season. Due to her work at the D.O.J., Megan is conflicted by her work, and turns to Larry for help. Near the end of the season, Don's girlfriend from season 2, Robin Brooks, returns. Don and Robin then continue their relationship. Charlie attends FBI training camp because he has been working with Don for several years and wants to better understand what his brother does. In the season finale, Megan leaves the team to move back to Washington, D.C., and Charlie goes head-to-head with Don about a case. This causes Charlie to send information to scientists in Pakistan. He is subsequently arrested and has his security clearance revoked, so he can no longer help Don on cases. At the end of the episode, Don drives away to another case and Charlie admits that giving up FBI work will be harder than he expected.

Several characters from previous seasons did not return in season 4. These characters include Mildred Finch and Ian Edgerton (though Edgerton appears in Season 5).

[edit] Season 5

The fifth season premiered on October 3, 2008, and the season finale aired on May 15, 2009. The season premiere was moved back one week to accommodate the 2008 presidential debates.^[6]

Season five opens three weeks after "When Worlds Collide" (season four's season finale), with the government dropping the charges against Charlie. Charlie gets his security clearance back after he and Don fight FBI Security Officer Carl McGowan. Don begins to explore Judaism. The team adds new agent Nikki Betancourt, who arrives shortly after Megan Reeves' departure. Liz is offered a promotion but turns it down. Buck Winters (from the episodes, "Spree" and "Two Daughters") breaks out of prison and comes after Don. Alan suddenly finds himself coaching CalSci's basketball team. David becomes Don's primary relief supervisor. DARPA tries to recruit Charlie, but he turns down their offer. Toward the end of the season, Don is stabbed, and Charlie blames himself for it. The aftermath of Don's stabbing causes Charlie to focus more on his FBI consultation work. Amita is kidnapped, and the team races to find her. After she is rescued, Charlie proposes to Amita. Her response is unknown.

Notes about Season Five: "Disturbed" marked the 100th episode of Numb3rs.^[7]

[edit] Season 6

The sixth season premiered Friday September 25, 2009, at 10:00 p.m. EDT^[8] and the season finale aired on March 12, 2010. The season starts with the engagement of Charlie and Amita. Soon after, Larry turns down an opportunity to meet with mathematicians at CERN, in Geneva, and drops his course load for the following semester. This leads Charlie to realize Larry is once again leaving, and leaving all of his work to Charlie. Don learns that his former mentor is crooked, causing Don angst when he has to shoot his mentor. Charlie and Don learn that Alan has lost a substantial amount of money in his 401(k). After some delay, Larry leaves Los Angeles, only to find a vacant piece of land for sale within driving distance of the city. Alan decides to return to work and finds a job as a software technical consultant. David asks Don for advice about career paths within the FBI. Larry returns from the desert with a new theory about the universe's fate. Charlie and Amita begin planning their wedding and decide to join the Big Brother/Big Sister program to practice parenting skills. They get married before their move to England to teach at the University of Cambridge. Don loses his gun, recovers it after it is used in some vigilante murders, and gets engaged. Before leaving, Charlie and Amita decide that the family garage should be converted to a guest house so Alan can continue living with them. Leaving Colby, Liz, and Nikki behind, David departs for Washington, D.C., to take a position as an anti-corruption team leader.

[edit] DVD releases

CBS DVD (Distributed by Paramount Home Entertainment) has released all 6 seasons of Numb3rs on DVD in Region 1. The first five seasons have been released in Regions 2 & 4.

[edit] Awards

Nicolas Falacci and Cheryl Heuton, the show's creators, have won several awards for the show, including the Carl Sagan Award for Public Understanding of Science in 2006,^[31] and the National Science Board's Public Service Award in 2007.^[32] Also, the show's stunt coordinator, Jim Vickers, was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Stunt Coordination in 2006 for episode 14 of Season 2, "Harvest".^[33]

[edit] Representation of mathematics

Several mathematicians work as consultants for each episode.^[34][35][36] Actual mathematics is presented in the show; the equations on the chalkboards are mathematically valid, and are somewhat applicable to the situations presented in each show. This mathematical validity and applicability of the equations has been asserted by professional mathematicians.^[34][37][38]

However, "getting the math right and getting it to fit with the plot are not priorities for the NUMB3RS team", according to creator Cheryl Heuton.^[39]

A book entitled The Numbers Behind Numb3rs: Solving Crime with Mathematics (ISBN 0452288576; published August 28, 2007) has been written by Keith Devlin and Dr. Gary Lorden, a consultant to the show, explaining some of the mathematical techniques that have been used both in actual FBI cases and in other law enforcement departments.^[40][41]

Since the premiere season, the blog^[42] edited by Prof. Mark Bridger (Northeastern University) has explained the mathematics behind each episode of the show.

In Denmark, a blog^[43] on the mathematics in Numb3rs was established when the show premiered there. It is run by Assoc. Prof Lisbeth Fajstrup and is written in Danish.

Wolfram Research (the developers of Mathematica) is the chief math consultant, reviewing scripts and providing background mathematics for the show. Starting with season four, their website in collaboration with CBS is entitled "The math behind NUMB3RS".^[44]

[edit] Concerns from mathematicians

At least one mathematician consultant to the show has expressed concern with its use of mathematics, which is inserted after the script and written to provide plausible sounding jargon, rather than having consultants involved at all stages of story development.^[39] Other criticisms include the show's portrayal of female mathematicians and inappropriate aspects of the relationship between Charlie Eppes and his graduate student Amita Ramanujan.^[39]

[edit] Production

The idea of Numb3rs was generated in the late 1990s when Nick Falacci and Cheryl Heuton, the show's creators, attended a lecture given by Bill Nye, a popular science educator.^[45] The premise of the show is similar to that of author Colin Bruce's reimaginings of the Sherlock Holmes character,^[46] and to the "Mathnet" segment on the children's television show Square One.

Gabriel Macht was originally cast to portray the character of Don Eppes. Also, the original concept for the show had the events take place at Massachusetts Institute of Technology;^[47] this was later changed to the fictional California Institute of Science, commonly called CalSci. Scenes which take place at CalSci are filmed at California Institute of Technology (Caltech)^[47] and the University of Southern California. One of the most frequent campus locations at Caltech is the vicinity of Millikan Library, including the bridge over Millikan Pond, the Trustees room, and the arcades of nearby buildings. At USC, locations include Doheny Library and the Town and Gown dining room. Exteriors for the FBI offices are on the distinctive bridge at Los Angeles Center Studios.^[48]

Another common location is the Craftsman home of the Eppes family. The house shown in the first season is real; it is owned by David Raposa and Edward Trosper,^[49] although a replica set was used from the second season onwards.^[50]

[edit] American television ratings

Seasonal rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) of Numb3rs on CBS.^[51]

Note: Each U.S. network television season starts in late September and ends in late May, which coincides with the completion of May sweeps.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• The Math Behind Numb3rs Website
• Numb3rs at the Internet Movie Database
• Numb3rs at TV.com

David Krumholtz
at the premiere of Serenity, 2005
Born	(1978-05-15) May 15, 1978 (age 34) Queens, New York CIty
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1992–present

David Krumholtz (born May 15, 1978) is an American actor best known for playing Professor Charlie Eppes in the television series Numb3rs. He appeared as Seth Goldstein in Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle and its two sequels, Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay and A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas. He is also known for his role as Bernard the Arch-Elf in The Santa Clause and its sequel, The Santa Clause 2. Additionally, he is known for his role as "Mr. Universe" in the 2005 film Serenity.

[edit] Early life

Krumholtz was born in Queens, New York. He is the son of Judy, a dental assistant, and Michael Krumholtz, a postal worker. He grew up in a "very working-class, almost poor" Jewish family.^[1][2] His mother moved from Hungary to the U.S. in 1956,^[3] and his paternal grandparents immigrated from Poland.^[1]

[edit] Career

Krumholtz began his acting career at the age of 13 when he followed his friends to an open audition for the Broadway play Conversations with My Father (1992). Though he did not expect to get the part, he won the role of Young Charlie opposite Judd Hirsch, Tony Shalhoub, and Jason Biggs, who was also making his Broadway debut. Soon after his run on Broadway, Krumholtz co-starred in two feature films, Life With Mikey (1993) opposite Michael J. Fox, and Addams Family Values (1993) opposite Christina Ricci. For his role in Mikey, David was nominated for a 1993 Young Artist Award.^[4] Although his work in these two films garnered him critical attention, David is probably best known by children as the sarcastic head elf Bernard from The Santa Clause (1994) and its 2002 sequel The Santa Clause 2: The Mrs Clause, but due to filming overlap with Numb3rs was unable to take part in The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause.^{[citation needed]}

In 1994, at age of sixteen, Krumholtz co-starred in his first television series, Monty, with Henry Winkler. The show only lasted a few episodes. Krumholtz would star in several short-lived series over the years. Along the way, he had the opportunity to work with Jason Bateman (Chicago Sons, 1997), Tom Selleck (The Closer, 1998), Jon Cryer (The Trouble with Normal, 2000), and Rob Lowe (The Lyon's Den, 2003). In 2005, he finally found television success with the CBS series Numb3rs.^[5] Along with his starring roles on television, Krumholtz made memorable guest appearances on ER, Law & Order, Undeclared, Lucky, and Freaks and Geeks.

He broke out of the children's movie genre with The Ice Storm (1997), directed by Ang Lee, and Slums of Beverly Hills (1998), starring Alan Arkin and Natasha Lyonne. In 1999, David starred as Michael Eckman in the popular teen movie 10 Things I Hate about You with Larisa Oleynik, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Julia Stiles, and Heath Ledger. That same year, he portrayed a completely different teen character – that of Yussel, a young conflicted Jewish man in Liberty Heights.

It was the role of Yussel that brought Krumholtz to the attention of actor and filmmaker Edward Burns, who cast him in the 2001 independent movie Sidewalks of New York.^[1] Playing the romantic and slightly obsessed Benny, Krumholtz was on a path to larger, more complex film roles. His first role as a leading man was in the 2002 romantic comedy You Stupid Man, playing opposite Milla Jovovich. Although never released theatrically in the United States, You Stupid Man, directed by Edward Burns's brother Brian Burns, was released on DVD in 2006. Krumholtz carried his first leading role in a released American film when he starred Big Shot: Confessions of a Campus Bookie, which premiered on FX Networks in 2002.

Big Shot was a true story based on the Arizona State University basketball fixing scandal of the early 1990s. Krumholtz played Benny Silman, a college student and campus bookmaker who was jailed for his part in shaving points off key ASU basketball games. Benny was unlike any character Krumholtz played prior, and garnered critical praise for his performance, proving that he was not just a sidekick.^[6]

In 2004, Krumholtz reunited with Edward Burns for the independent film The Last Hold-Outs. The following year he played Max in My Suicidal Sweetheart (formerly Max and Grace), once again starring opposite actress Natasha Lyonne. Krumholtz also returned to smaller key roles in the successful films Ray and Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle – two very different movies released in 2004. In September 2005, he was seen in Joss Whedon's science fiction film Serenity as "Mr. Universe", a hacker and information broker. Most recently, in early 2006, Krumholtz's 2003 film Kill the Poor screened in New York City at IFC Center and across the country on Comcast's On Demand cable service.

On Numb3rs, he played the part of Charlie Eppes, a mathematical genius who helped his brother Don (Rob Morrow), an FBI agent, solve crimes using mathematics. The cast of Numb3rs also included Judd Hirsch and Peter MacNicol, who appeared with him in Addams Family Values as a camp counselor. Television critic Matt Roush (TV Guide) called Krumholtz's work on Numb3rs "probably his best TV work to date". Numb3rs was officially cancelled by CBS on May 18, 2010.

[edit] Personal life

He appears in two documentaries on the Knocked Up DVD (one being staged and the other being genuine). "Gummy: The Sixth Roommate" tells the true story of how David dropped out of the film to play the lead part in a Woody Allen movie in Paris that got canceled before production, and Apatow would not write him back into his script. He would have played one of the main character's five roommates (along with other Freaks and Geeks alumni Seth Rogen, Jason Segel and Martin Starr).^[7][8] Friend and fellow Freaks actor Jason Segel appears with him in a short scene in Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny.

On May 22, 2010, Krumholtz married actress Vanessa Britting at The Plaza Hotel in New York City. The couple had been engaged since July 2008.^[9] As of 2007, he resides in Los Angeles, where Numb3rs was produced.

In September 2011, Krumholtz was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. In December 2011, he began radioactive iodine treatment.^[10]

[edit] Filmography

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• David Krumholtz at the Internet Movie Database
• David Krumholtz at the Internet Broadway Database
• David Krumholtz on Twitter
• David Krumholtz's channel on YouTube
• interview about Krumholtz's guest appearance on ER

Navi Rawat (born Navlata Rawat on June 5, 1977) is an American television actress, known for her roles as Theresa Diaz on the drama series The O.C. and math prodigy Amita Ramanujan on the drama series Numb3rs. She is the niece of Prem Rawat.^[1]

[edit] Early life

Rawat was born in Malibu, California, to a Indian father and a German mother and raised in Miami, Florida.^[2][3] She is a graduate of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.^[4]

[edit] Career

In television, Rawat is best known for her roles as Theresa Diaz on the drama The O.C. and math prodigy Amita Ramanujan on Numb3rs. She had a guest role as Melanie in the first season of 24. Her work in film includes the sci-fi Thoughtcrimes (2003), the Project Greenlight film Feast (2005), and the independent romantic comedy Loveless in Los Angeles (2006). She has also had many smaller roles including playing Dana, a psychotic vampire slayer, in an episode of Angel and portrayed Nat Raiden on the episode "Asslane" of the short-lived action TV show, Fastlane on FOX. She played a recurring role in the USA Network series Burn Notice's fourth season. ^[2] She currently is the spokeswoman for Moen and narrates their commercials.

[edit] Filmography

• Popular: "Booty Camp" (2000) as Teen Girl #5
• Jack the Dog (2001) as Ruby
• The Princess and the Marine (2001) as Sabika
• Roswell: "Samuel Rising" (2002) as Shelby
• 24 (March–April 2002) as Melanie
• Dancing at the Harvest Moon (2002) as Jennifer
• The Street Lawyer (2003) as Sofia
• Fastlane: "Asslane" (2003) as Natalie 'Nat' Raiden
• Thoughtcrimes (2003) as Freya McAllister
• House of Sand and Fog (2003) as Soraya Bhrani
• The O.C. (2003–2006) as Theresa Diaz
• Angel: "Damage" (2004) as Dana
• Without A Trace: "Light Years" (2004) as Ms. Tompkeller
• Numb3rs (2005–2010) as Amita Ramanujan
• Tom 51 (2005) as Chandi Azu
• The Adventures of Big Handsome Guy and His Little Friend (2005) as Ethnic Woman
• Feast (2005) as Heroine
• Undead or Alive: A Zombedy (2007) as Sue
• Loveless in Los Angeles (2007) as Gwen
• Ocean of Pearls (2007) as Smita Sethi
• Tom Cool (2009) as Chandi Azu
• FlashForward: "Gimme Some Truth" (2009) as Maya
• Castle: "Wrapped Up in Death" (2010) as Rachel Walters
• Burn Notice (2010) as Kendra

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Navi Rawat at the Internet Movie Database

This article about an American television actor or actress born in the 1970s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Aya Sumika was born Aya Sumika Koenig on August 22, 1980 in Miami, Florida. She grew up in Seattle, Washington.

She is an American actress best known for her semi-recurring role (which later turned a regular role) as FBI Agent Liz Warner in the television series Numb3rs.^[1]

Her mother is Japanese-American and her father is of European ancestry.^[2] She studied ballet at Juilliard.

[edit] Filmography

2005: Numb3rs: Liz Warner

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Aya Sumika at the Internet Movie Database

This Washington (state) biographical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

This article about an American television actor or actress born in the 1980s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Pau Gasol

Gasol with the Lakers
No. 16 – Los Angeles Lakers
Power forward/Center
Personal information
Born	(1980-07-06) July 6, 1980 (age 31) Barcelona, Spain
Nationality	Spanish
Listed height	7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
Listed weight	250 lb (113 kg)
Career information
NBA Draft	2001 / Round: 1 / Pick: 3rd overall
Selected by the Atlanta Hawks
Pro career	1998–present
Career history
1998–2001	Barcelona (Spain)
2001–2008	Memphis Grizzlies
2008–present	Los Angeles Lakers
Career highlights and awards
2× NBA Champion (2009–2010) NBA Rookie of the Year (2002) 4× NBA All-Star (2006, 2009–2011) All-NBA Second Team (2011) 2× All-NBA Third Team (2009–2010) NBA All-Rookie First Team (2002) FIBA World Championship MVP (2006) EuroBasket MVP (2009) Spanish King's Cup MVP (2001) Spanish League Finals MVP (2001) All-Euroleague Second Team (2001) 7× European Player of the Year 2× FIBA Europe Player of the Year (2008–2009) 2× Mister Europa Player of the Year (2004, 2009) 3× Euroscar Player of the Year (2008–2010)

Medal record
Competitor for  Spain
Men's Basketball
Summer Olympics
Silver	2008 Beijing	National Team
FIBA World Championship
Gold	2006 Japan	National Team
FIBA European Championship
Bronze	2001 Turkey	National Team
Silver	2003 Sweden	National Team
Silver	2007 Spain	National Team
Gold	2009 Poland	National Team
Gold	2011 Lithuania	National Team

Pau Gasol i Sáez (Catalan pronunciation: [ˈpaw ɡəˈzɔɫ]) (born July 6, 1980) is a Spanish professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was born to Marisa Sáez and Agustí Gasol, and he spent his childhood in Spain. Gasol was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks in the 2001 NBA Draft, but his rights were traded to the Memphis Grizzlies, with whom he won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. He currently holds the Memphis Grizzlies franchise records for career games played, minutes played, field goals made and attempted, free throws made and attempted, offensive, defensive, and total rebounds, blocked shots, turnovers, and points.^[1] After seven seasons with the team, Gasol was traded to the Lakers on February 1, 2008. His younger brother, Marc Gasol, who was involved in that trade, is also a professional basketball player for the Memphis Grizzlies of the NBA.

[edit] Early career

[edit] FC Barcelona Basquet (1998–2001)

Pau Gasol was born in Barcelona.^[2] He began playing basketball with his school team called Alvirne, and he eventually signed with Cornellà.^[3] When he was sixteen, he began playing for Barcelona's junior team.^[3] He also won both the 1998 Albert Schweitzer Tournament and the 1998 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship.^[4] After moving to the senior team of Barcelona, Gasol played just 25 total minutes in the Spanish ACB League 1998–99 season, and averaged 13.7 minutes per game in the ACB the next year.^[5] However, in his final season in the ACB, Gasol averaged 12.4 points and 5.8 rebounds in 24.7 minutes per game.^[5] Barcelona was victorious in the Spanish National Cup championship game in 2001, and Gasol was named Most Valuable Player.^[4] After entering the NBA Draft, Gasol was selected third overall in the first round in the 2001 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks,^[6] who traded his draft rights to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Shareef Abdur-Rahim.^[7]

[edit] NBA career

[edit] Memphis Grizzlies (2001–2008)

In Gasol's first season with the Grizzlies, he won the Rookie of the Year Award,^[8] and was named to the All-Rookie first team.^[9] He averaged 17.6 points and 8.9 rebounds per game, and was also the only team member to play in all 82 games that season.^[10] Gasol led the team in scoring (19.0 points per game) in his second year with the team, and for the second year in a row, played in all 82 games.^[10] Gasol missed the first game of his career, during his third year, with a foot injury on April 5, 2004, which snapped his string of 240 consecutive games played.^[11] He grabbed the 1,500th rebound of his career on November 12, 2003, against the Orlando Magic and scored his 3,000th career point on October 31, 2003, against the Boston Celtics.^[12] Despite having 22 points in Game 4 against the San Antonio Spurs, the highest by a Memphis players in the playoffs, his team was eliminated in the first round, not winning a single game against San Antonio. This was both the Grizzlies and Gasol's first trip to the NBA Playoffs.^[13] He scored 31 points and blocked four shots on January 11, 2005, against the Indiana Pacers to earn 5,000 points and 500 blocks in his career, becoming the 10th fastest player to reach 5,000 points/500 blocks since 1973–74.^[12] He also helped his team make it to the playoffs for the second time in his career, but they were eliminated in the first round and did not win a single game against the Phoenix Suns.^[14]

Gasol was with the Memphis Grizzlies from 2001–2008 until he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2007–08 season.

In his fifth year with the team, he became the franchise’s all-time leading rebounder on March 24 against the New York Knicks when he grabbed his 3,072nd rebound in a Grizzlies uniform.^[12] He made 29 consecutive free throw attempts from January 24 to January 28, tying the second best mark in Grizzlies history, including two straight games going 12–12 from the line, tying the best single-game mark in franchise history.^[12] Gasol and the Grizzlies returned to the playoffs for the third time in his and his team's history. Once again, they were eliminated in the first round and did not win a single game against the Dallas Mavericks.^[15]

On February 9, 2006, making his first appearance, Gasol was selected to play in the 2006 NBA All-Star Game in Houston, Texas as a reserve center for the Western Conference. At the time, he was one of four players ranked among Western Conference forwards in the top ten in points, rebounds, assists and blocked shots.^[16] He was the first Spanish basketball player as well as the first Grizzlies player to ever make it to the All-Star Game.^[16]

Gasol missed the first 23 games of the 2006-07 NBA season due to a broken foot suffered near the end of Spain's semifinal win over Argentina in the 2006 FIBA World Championship.^[12] He would go on to be named Most Valuable Player of the tournament, which Spain won.^[12] He had a season-high 34 points (most by a Grizzly that season), and eight rebounds and tied a career-high and franchise record with eight blocks on January 29 against the Sacramento Kings,^[17] and surpassed Shareef Abdur-Rahim as the franchise's all-time leader in free throw attempts on January 31 against the Dallas Mavericks.^[12] He became the all-time franchise leader in field goals made on February 6 against the Houston Rockets,^[12] and became the all-time franchise leader in minutes played on February 7 at Dallas.^[12] He surpassed Shareef Abdur-Rahim (7,801 points) as the Grizzlies' all-time leading scorer on March 7, 2007, against the Toronto Raptors (7,809 points at the time).^[12] On January 24, 2007, Gasol recorded his second career triple-double against the hosting Utah Jazz, garnering 17 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists. He also registered 2 blocks and one steal.^[18]

[edit] Los Angeles Lakers (2008–present)

Pau Gasol

On February 1, 2008, Gasol was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers along with a 2010 second round draft pick for Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie, the rights to Marc Gasol (Pau's younger brother), and 2008 and 2010 first round draft picks.^[19] There has been a bit of controversy surrounding the trade. Chris Wallace denied in an ESPN article that he had been ordered by owner Michael Heisley to make the Grizzlies more attractive to a potential buyer. Heisley has been trying to sell the franchise for two years. Wallace said, "No one put pressure on me to do this, and Michael Heisley has actually been reluctant to move Pau." He also said that they had been "trolling" the waters for a while and dealt with a number of teams. He selected the Lakers deal because "it didn't get any better than this."^[19] When Gasol departed the Grizzlies, he held twelve franchise records, including games played, minutes played, field goals made and attempted, free throws made and attempted, offensive, defensive, and total rebounds, blocked shots, turnovers, and points. Per game statistics, he leads Memphis in defensive and total rebounds along with blocked shots.^[20] On February 5, he made his first Lakers appearance in a game against the New Jersey Nets, during which he scored 24 points and had 12 rebounds in a 105–90 win over the Nets.^[21][22] On March 14, Gasol sprained his ankle in a game against the New Orleans Hornets, stepping on the foot of teammate Vladimir Radmanović in the first quarter.^[23] Gasol was expected to miss the remaining three games of the Lakers' road trip after x-rays came up negative.^[24] Gasol returned to the starting lineup on April 2 against the Portland Trail Blazers and played nearly thirty-two minutes, registering 10 points, six rebounds and seven assists.^[25] He admitted to feeling limited with the swelling in his ankle still present.^[25] Gasol helped the Lakers finish the regular season with the best record in the Western Conference (57–25), with him in the starting lineup the Lakers went 22–5. Kobe Bryant has also stated that playing with Gasol clicked from the start.^[26]

Dunk by Gasol in Game 2 of the 2008 NBA Finals

In the Lakers' opening game of the playoffs, he contributed 36 points, 16 rebounds, 8 assists and 3 blocked shots.^[26][27] When the Lakers swept the Denver Nuggets in the first round, it was Gasol's first trip to the second round in four tries. His previous team, the Grizzlies, did not make it to the playoffs for the second year in a row. He contributed 17 points and 13 rebounds in Game 6 against the Utah Jazz to help the Lakers advance to the conference finals.^[28][29] On May 31, he recorded a career high 19 rebounds in a series-clinching win against the San Antonio Spurs, and he became the first Spaniard to reach the NBA Finals.^[30][31] Gasol scored 14.7 points per game on .532 shooting in the 2008 NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics, which was below his scoring average of 18.9 during the regular season, However, he led the Lakers in rebounding with 10.2 per game throughout the championship series,^[32] up from his regular-season average of 8.4.^[12] Los Angeles lost in six games against Boston in the Finals, including a 131–92 loss in Game 6.^[33] During the 2008 NBA Playoffs, Gasol was the second leading Laker in points (16.9), rebounds (9.3) and assists per game (4.0).^[34] He was the leader in blocks per game (1.90) and was tied with Lamar Odom with the most postseason double-doubles (10).

Gasol earned his second All-Star appearance as a reserve for the Western Conference squad during the 2008-2009 NBA season, his first as a Laker. He was also named Western Conference Player of the Month after helping the Lakers to an 11–2 record for the month of February that included road wins over Boston and Cleveland. He finished the regular season with averages of 18.9 points, 9.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1 block per game. Gasol then won his first NBA championship ring when the Lakers defeated the Orlando Magic in the 2009 NBA Finals.

On December 24, 2009 Gasol signed a 3-year extension with the Lakers worth $64.7 million.^[35]

Gasol earned his third All-Star appearance as a reserve for the Western Conference and finished the regular season with averages of 18.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.7 blocks. In Game 6 of the first round, Gasol grabbed 18 rebounds and his last-second putback eliminated the Oklahoma City Thunder.^[36] In the conference semifinals against the Utah Jazz, he averaged 23.5 points and 14.5 rebounds. In Game 7 of the NBA Finals, Gasol scored 19 points, (6–16 FGM-A, 7–13 FTM-A) grabbed 18 rebounds and recorded two blocks as the Lakers repeated as champions.

Challenged by Lakers' coach Phil Jackson to be more assertive while Bryant recovered from offseason knee surgery, Gasol started the season's first week averaging 25.3 points on 52.5 percent shooting, 10.3 rebounds, and five assists per game as the Lakers started 3–0. He was named Western Conference Player of the Week.^[37] He earned his third straight All-Star selection and his season averages of 19 points and 10 rebounds are nearly identical to what he's put up as a Laker the previous three seasons.^[38] Pau's play also merited him All-NBA second team honors for the first time in his career.^[39] In the playoffs Gasol's average of 13 points on 42% shooting over 10 games and lack of aggression had the Lakers team suffering all the more for it, getting swept out of the playoffs by the Mavs in the second round. Gasol had the worst post season performance of his career.^[38] Lakers Hall of Famer and ESPN analyst Magic Johnson cited Gasol as a possible trade option for the Lakers to acquire Magic center Dwight Howard.^[40] Gasol ignored the false reports about his relationship status with his girlfriend as the cause of his poor performance and has accepted the criticism of his play as valid.^[40] After the 2011 NBA lockout Pau and teammate Lamar Odom were subject to many trade rumors involving former New Orleans Hornets guard Chris Paul. After the trades went dead Pau vowed that this wouldn't affect how he would play. Lamar Odom on the other hand was angry at the Laker organization and was traded to the 2010–11 NBA champion Dallas Mavericks for a future first round pick.

[edit] Player profile

Gasol is very athletic and quick for a 7-footer (213 cm), and primarily plays the power forward and center positions. He has often been compared to fellow European players Toni Kukoč and Dirk Nowitzki, holding career averages of 18.8 points and 9.0 rebounds. He is a refined scorer in the post and midrange; his overall game is near-ambidextrous and makes it difficult for opposing teams to defend. Gasol uses a variety of midrange jumpers, hook shots, up-and-under moves, and shot fakes to score very efficiently. Gasol's normal jumpshot range extends to 20 feet. In addition, his foot speed relative to his size allows him to run the fast break and finish effectively. He is also a skilled passer for a big man, earning 3.2 assists per game over his career. Defensively, he is an above-average shot blocker with a career average of 1.7 blocks per game. Before being traded to the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2007–08 season, he had played exclusively with the Memphis Grizzlies from 2001–2008. When he was traded to the Lakers, he maintained the same number on his jersey, still playing with the number 16. In his career, Gasol has never been ejected.^[41] Gasol scored his 10,000th point in a game against the Jazz on January 2, 2009.^[42] He finished with 21 points, 11 rebounds and six assists in the win.^[43]

[edit] NBA career statistics

[edit] Regular season

[edit] Playoffs

[edit] Awards & honors

[edit] FC Barcelona

• Spanish King's Cup Champion (2000)
• Most Valuable Player of the Spanish King's Cup (2001)
• Spanish League Champion (2001)
• Spanish League Finals MVP (2001)
• All-Euroleague Second Team (2001)

[edit] NBA

• 2× NBA Champion (2009, 2010)
• NBA Rookie of the Year (2002)
• All-NBA Second Team selection (2011)
• 2× All-NBA Third Team selection (2009, 2010)
• 4× NBA All-Star (2006, 2009, 2010, 2011)

[edit] European Player of the Year awards

• 7× European Player of the Year:
  • 2x Mr. Europa (2004, 2009)
  • 3x Euroscar Award (2008, 2009, 2010)
  • 2x FIBA Europe Player of the Year (2008, 2009)

[edit] Spanish national team

Gasol won the gold with Spain at EuroBasket 2011.

• Gold medal at the FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship (1998)
• Gold medal at the FIBA Under-19 World Championship (1999)
• Bronze medal at the FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship (2000)
• Bronze medal at the EuroBasket 2001
• Silver medal at the EuroBasket 2003
• Gold medal at the 2006 FIBA World Championship
• Most Valuable player of the 2006 FIBA World Championship
• Silver medal at the EuroBasket 2007
• Silver medal at 2008 Olympic Basketball Tournament
• Gold medal at the EuroBasket 2009
• Gold medal at the EuroBasket 2011

[edit] Personal life

Gasol's mother, Marisa, was a medical doctor, and his father, Agustí, was a nurse administrator. When Pau was born, his family was living in Cornellà, but he was born in Barcelona, at Sant Pau Hospital,^[2] where both of his parents worked. When he was six years old, his family moved to another Barcelona suburb, Sant Boi de Llobregat, where he spent the remainder of his childhood.^[3] His parents moved to the Memphis suburb of Germantown, Tennessee after he signed with the Grizzlies, and enrolled his younger brothers Marc and Adrià in Lausanne Collegiate School in Memphis.^[44] They planned to move to the Los Angeles area when Pau was traded to the Lakers, with Agustí accepting a job with a health-care company in that area; although the Grizzlies obtained the rights to Marc's services as part of the trade, he was expected to re-sign with his Spanish team Akasvayu Girona. However, when Marc decided to sign with the Grizzlies, their parents chose to stay in Germantown. Agustí now works from home for the same company, while Marisa now volunteers at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.^[45]

In 2009, Gasol, along with several other NBA players, joined the Hoops for St. Jude charity program benefitting the St. Jude Children's Research Hopsital.^[46]

Gasol was never interested in football, but loved basketball. The first sport he played was actually rugby, before switching to basketball.^[47] He is described as "a family boy and the perfect student, a tad shy, and a bit of a joker."^[3]

He originally did not want to make sports his career. On the day that Magic Johnson announced his HIV-positive status in 1991, the 11-year-old Gasol, who had heard the news in school, decided that he wanted to be a doctor and find a cure for AIDS. He enrolled in medical school at the University of Barcelona,^[48] but left as his basketball career at FC Barcelona advanced.^[45] He remains strongly interested in medicine. Gasol regularly visits Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles, a standard stop for athletes making charitable visits in the L.A. area, but does not limit his business to visiting young patients. On one visit, he asked a group of doctors well-informed questions about their treatment of children with scoliosis. In April 2010, Gasol was scheduled to sit in on a spinal surgery, wearing surgical scrubs, with Dr. David Skaggs, the hospital's chief of orthopedic surgery. Skaggs has said, "We talk to him now almost like he is a surgical colleague."^[48]

Gasol canceled his original plans to observe a surgery when he came down with a low-grade fever the day before the operation, not wishing to risk infecting anyone at the hospital. He was able to reschedule his observation for June 2010, witnessing Skaggs lead a team operating on a 13-year-old girl from Colorado with scoliosis.^[49]

Gasol also has a broad range of intellectual and cultural interests. He has taught himself Italian and French^[48] to go along with his childhood languages of Catalan and Spanish plus English. He and Kobe Bryant speak to one another during games in Spanish to keep opponents from knowing their plans.^[45] Gasol also regularly reads historical novels, plays the works of French classical composers on his keyboard, and attends concerts and operas; he is a friend of Spanish tenor Plácido Domingo, and often visits him backstage after performances.^[48]

His younger brother Marc, who is 216 centimetres (7 ft 1 in) tall and 127 kilograms (280 lb), is also a professional basketball player, currently playing for the Memphis Grizzlies.^[50] Marc was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers, 48th overall, in the 2007 NBA Draft and his rights were traded to the Memphis Grizzlies, as part of the deal that sent Gasol to the Lakers.^[21] Their youngest brother Adrià played for Lausanne's basketball team; his coach at Lausanne said, "He's built like Pau, with a mean streak like Marc," although he is not yet considered a major basketball prospect.^[45]

Gasol denied false reports that he had broken up with his girlfriend, Silvia Lopez Castro, in the exit interviews after his poor performance in the 2011 NBA Playoffs.^[40]

[edit] See also

• List of National Basketball Association career blocks leaders
• List of National Basketball Association career playoff blocks leaders

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Pau Gasol

• Official site (Spanish) (Catalan) (English)
• Pau Gasol on Twitter (Spanish)/(English)
• Pau Gasol on Facebook (Spanish)/(English)
• NBA.com Profile
• Pau Gasol Player Profile (InterBasket)
• Pau Gasol video in Herois
• Pau Gasol story on Hoopsworld.com
• Pau Gasol Fan Forum
• Pau Gasol Player Profile (ACB)
• Pau Gasol Italian Fan Site

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Šarūnas Jasikevičius	Mr. Europa 2004	Succeeded by Dirk Nowitzki
Preceded by Andrei Kirilenko	FIBA Europe Men's Player of the Year 2008, 2009	Succeeded by Miloš Teodosić
Preceded by Tony Parker	Euroscar Award 2008, 2009, 2010	Succeeded by Incumbent
Preceded by Ricky Rubio	Mr. Europa 2009	Succeeded by Juan Carlos Navarro