Pau Gasol

Gasol is a sure-fire first-ballot Hall-of-Famer. Not only did he have a stellar career in the NBA (winning the Rookie of the Year award, capturing two titles and averaging 17.0 points, 9.2 boards and 3.2 dimes over 1,226 regular-season games), but Gasol also won three Olympic medals and three Liga ACB titles with Barcelona.

A great professional basketball career will come to an official end early next week, with the 41-year old Gasol set to announce his retirement. Selected by the Hawks with the third overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft, Gasol (who was traded to Memphis on draft night) earned Rookie of the Year honors, six All-Star Game appearances and four All-NBA selections during his 18-year NBA career. Gasol, who most recently played for FC Barcelona in his native Spain, also won two NBA titles as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. Gasol won't have to wait long until he's enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. 

Gasol, who will celebrate his 41st birthday next month, is joined by his brother, Marc, and current NBA players Ricky Rubio, Juan Hernangomez, and Willy Hernangomez, as well as Sergio Rodriguez, Alex Abrines, Sergio Llull and Rudy Fernandez.  

Gasol said in October that he wants to play for Spain in the Tokyo Olympics this summer, and joining FC Barcelona is another step in that direction. The 40-year-old center will inevitably be inducted to the Hall of Fame when his playing days are over, both for his monumental success in the NBA and his central role in Spain's basketball programs for the past few decades.